Giants have internally discussed speeding up Johnny Cueto's return

PHOENIX -- The recovery process from Tommy John surgery is long and tedious and unbelievably mapped out on a daily basis, and from the start, Johnny Cueto has targeted Sept. 1 as a potential return date.

The Giants are still expecting to see Cueto on the mound in the first week of September, but there's another camp forming within the organization, one hoping to operate with a bit more urgency. The Giants originally had Cueto scheduled for two rehab starts with San Jose and two with Sacramento, but they have discussed internally the possibility of having Cueto get up to speed in big league games.

The thinking here is simple: Cueto is healthy and looks great every time he throws, and even if…