"Carlos Beltran has no idea how much his strained right hand will sting when he checks his swing, or flails at a high pitch, or goes two or three days in a row. The only way he can find out is to play, and now he can.

On Tuesday, the Giants activated their prized offensive acquisition from the disabled list after he missed 13 games.

"I hope everything goes well, because I've gone crazy," Beltran said. "Fifteen days out for me has been hell."

Nor has it been a bed of roses for a team that dealt one of its best pitching prospects for the offense a healthy Beltran can provide. He has 33 regular-season games left in which to help push the Giants toward a division title."