Tim Lincecum made his first rehab appearance with the Texas Rangers' Triple-A team on Monday night, 21 months after his last big league start.
Lincecum allowed two runs and struck out two while pitching the fifth inning for Round Rock against the Iowa Cubs.
After walking his first batter on four pitches, the first a 90-mph fastball that went to the backstop, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner allowed an RBI double. Another run scored on a wild pitch before he retired his last two batters on swinging strikes.
Texas plans to use Lincecum as a reliever, even though he has started 270 of his 278 career games. He pitched out of the stretch for Round Rock.
The 33-year-old right-hander has been on the disabled list all season. He signed with Texas after the start of spring training, and developed a blister on his right middle finger before the season.
Lincecum was initially placed on the 10-day disabled list, but was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 15. The earliest he could be activated is May 28.
A three-time World Series champion with the Giants, Lincecum was 108-83 in San Francisco from 2007-15. He had season-ending hip surgery in September 2015 and made a brief comeback with the Los Angeles Angels the following season, going 2-6 with a 9.16 ERA in nine starts. His last MLB start was Aug. 5, 2016, when he allowed six runs in 3 1/3 innings in a loss at Seattle.
