Giants center fielder Angel Pagan appears close to returning but expects to have a minor-league rehab assignment, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area. Despite a cortisone shot, the hamstring has not healed and he has been unable to run the bases pain-free. Alex Pavlovic of the Merc reports that manager Bruce Bochy says Pagan will get 10-15 at-bats in the minors.

Speed is a large part of Pagan’s game, both on the basepaths and roaming center field. The 31-year-old has 130 career stolen bases and 43 triples, with 15 of those coming last season. The latter is a San Francisco Giants record and led all of Major League Baseball.

The Giants haven’t been entire helpless without Pagan, as Gregor Blanco has mirrored Pagan’s production sans a bit of power. Blanco has an OBP of .341 and plays all positions in the outfield well, but has just one home run in 251 plate appearances.

But Blanco (and Andres Torres, for that matter) haven’t been alone in stepping up. Recent call-up Juan Perez has played stellar defense in his first career cup of coffee, making a running catch into the fence that will certainly make the Giants end-of-the-year highlight reel. He has also flashed some acumen with the bat, notching five hits in his first 11 at-bats.