How Hunter Pence’s rehab assignment could take an unusual turn

San Francisco Giants’ Hunter Pence (8) follows his sacrifice fly as Brandon Belt (9) scores against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning of a MLB game at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)SAN FRANCISCO–During his rise through the Houston Astros Minor League system, Hunter Pence spent just 25 games with the Triple-A Round Rock Express before receiving a call to the show.

Pence nearly skipped the Triple-A level altogether in 2007, but 11 years later, he’s making up for lost time.

The Giants outfielder is rehabbing a sprained thumb with Triple-A Sacramento and hoping to prove he’s healthy enough to contribute in the near…