#burriss

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants took two steps closer to being the team they hoped to be coming out of spring training Tuesday when they activated outfielder Andres Torres and utilityman Mark DeRosa from the 15-day disabled list.

Manager Bruce Bochy didn't waste any time in unwrapping his re-gifted toys, either, putting both veterans into his starting lineup for the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Diamondbacks at AT&T Park.

The Giants have sent down Emmannuel Burriss and Ryan Rohlinger to make room on the 25-man roster.

DeRosa, who had been out with inflammation in his twice-surgically repaired left wrist, will start at third base and bat eighth. Torres, said to be fully recovered from a strained left Achilles tendon, is starting in center field and batting in the leadoff spot.

Also Tuesday, third baseman Pablo Sandoval, recovering from recent surgery to remove a fractured portion of the hamate bone in his right hand, announced via his Twitter account that he’s been cleared to start taking ground balls.