(UPDATE) SEVEN-TIME league Most Valuable Player (MVP) June Mar Fajardo is expected to return to action as San Miguel Beer makes its much-awaited debut for the Season 48 PBA Philippine Cup this Friday against winless Rain or Shine.

The 6-foot-10 Fajardo opted to skip the recent FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers as he recovers from a left calf injury he sustained during the Commissioner's Cup, which the Beermen won over the Magnolia Hotshots.

SMB team physiotherapist Edward Bacason said Fajardo has practiced with the Beermen the past two days and will initially play on minutes restriction while his calf undergoes further rehab and strengthening.

"He (Fajardo) has the clearance to play. He just needs to do a lot, like activation, rehab and strengthening, and just manage his minutes," Bacason told The Manila Times.

San Miguel will play two games in three days with the charges of coach Jorge Gallent facing TNT on Sunday, March 17.

The league gives way to the annual PBA All-Star Weekend in Bacolod City from there before swinging back to action on March 31 where San Miguel tangles with Phoenix in the first game.

Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra face off in the main game that day for the first Manila Clasico of the All-Filipino conference.

The "Kraken" managed to play through pain during the Commissioner's Cup Finals and went on to finish with MVP-like numbers of 16.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks for the conference.

At the close of the import-spiced conference, Fajardo leads the MVP stats race for Season 48, giving him a chance at further rewriting league history by becoming the first player to win eight MVP awards.

As it is, his seven MVP trophies are a record in itself, with PBA legends Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio now a distant second with four MVP awards each.

Read The Rest at :