PHOENIX -- Randy Johnson will make his first Major League appearance since June 28 on Monday night in San Francisco.

The Big Unit suffered a reherniation of a disk in his back and underwent surgery in early August to repair it.

The D-backs are making the game, which will not be broadcast on FSN Arizona, available on MLB.TV free of charge without a local blackout in the Phoenix area.

Gametime is 7:15 MST/10:15 ET.

Johnson made two starts this season for Triple-A Tucson, most recently tossing six innings of three-hit, three-run baseball against Salt Lake, hitting his target of 85 pitches. He was much more pleased after his second outing than his first, when he allowed five runs in four innings.

"I feel good," Johnson said Friday. "The main thing was getting my work in. I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish."

Johnson conveniently slid right into the rotation for Doug Davis, who had thyroid cancer surgery on Thursday.

'With Doug down, I think the timing is pretty good for [Johnson] coming back," Melvin said. "His last outing was encouraging for him. He felt the best he had felt. He got his six innings in, he got his pitch count in, the strikeouts were up a little bit and he was a little bit better with his slider."

After being on a specific pitch count in his two Minor League outings, Johnson will not be on a limited in San Francisco. Melvin said he will gauge the pitch count on how he's throwing.

Outfielder Eric Byrnes said the Big Unit can make a huge impact this season if he remains healthy.

"It will be exciting to see Randy out there," Byrnes said. "If we could get 20-plus starts out of him, that would be huge."

The D-backs will also get their first taste of what life is like at AT&T Park without all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, the Giants' left fielder since 1993.

"It will be different," Melvin said. "It will be interesting to see how the park feels without Barry there. He had a lot to do with the excitement and aura of that ballpark."

Pitching matchup
ARI: LHP Randy Johnson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
The Big Unit will be making his first start of the 2008 season. Johnson was 4-3 last year with a 3.81 ERA in 10 games.

SF: LHP Jonathan Sanchez (0-1, 6.30 ERA)
Sanchez will be making his third start of the season for the Giants. The last time out, the 25-year-old Puerto Rican threw a gem, tossing six innings of three-hit, shutout baseball against the Padres. Sanchez, who also had 10 strikeouts, did not factor into the decision.

Tidbits
Pitcher Jalien Peguero was optioned to Triple-A Tucson to make room for Johnson on the 25-man roster. Peguero pitched in two games after being recalled, allowing two runs in three innings. ... On Opening Day, the D-backs had the youngest roster in the Major Leagues, with an average age of 27 years, 184 days. When the 44-year-old Johnson is activated from the disabled list, the D-backs average age will go from the youngest squad to the fifth-youngest (28 years, 336 days) behind Oakland, Minnesota, Florida and Atlanta, respectively. ... Johnson is the second-oldest active Major Leaguer. Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer is the oldest at 45. ... On the other side of the spectrum, the D-backs have the youngest active Major Leaguer in 20-year-old Justin Upton. ... When Johnson made his Major League debut on Sept. 15, 1988, Upton had just had his first birthday. ... Byrnes is growing a mustache until his current hitting streak ends. He's hit safely in nine games.

Tickets
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On the Internet
 MLB.TV
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On television
• Free on MLB.TV

On radio
• KTAR 620, KSUN 1400 (Español)

Up next
• Tuesday: D-backs (Micah Owings, 2-0, 2.63) at Giants (Kevin Correia, 1-1, 2.63), 1:35 p.m. MST
• Wednesday: D-backs (Brandon Webb, 3-0, 2.14) at Giants (Barry Zito, 0-3, 4.50), 12:45 p.m. MST
• Thursday: Off-day