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The Giants have introduced that an x-ray revealed a fracture within the left thumb of first baseman Brandon Belt, as relayed by a number of reporters, together with Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Belt was hit on the thumb by a pitch in yesterday’s recreation and was pulled a short while later. The anticipated restoration timeline remains to be unknown proper now, as Belt nonetheless plans on extra conferences with medical doctors, per Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com. Nevertheless, for comparability’s sake, each J.T. Realmuto and Joey Votto suffered a fractured thumb earlier this 12 months and missed a few month earlier than returning to motion.
That is terrible timing for Belt and the Giants, each as a result of the postseason begins in every week and since Belt had been on such a tear of late. Since getting back from a knee harm August fifth, Belt’s slash line is an absurd .297/.394/.690, hitting 18 dwelling runs in that stretch. That manufacturing is 83% higher than league common, in response to wRC+. After three straight years of lagging manufacturing from 2017 to 2019, Belt has primarily been on hearth the previous two years. Because the begin of the 2020 season, in 148 video games, his line is .285/.393/.595. His wRC+ of 163 in that point is the third-best within the majors amongst these with at the least 550 plate appearances, trailing solely Juan Soto and Bryce Harper.
As for the crew, they’re already assured a playoff spot, although which sort remains to be to be decided. They’re at the moment two video games forward of the Dodgers for the lead within the NL West, with every crew having six video games remaining. Within the absence of Belt, they’ll probably flip to Wilmer Flores and LaMonte Wade Jr., who’ve every seen a while at first base this 12 months. Darin Ruf might be an choice down the street, however he himself was simply positioned on the IL on Thursday with an indirect harm. These three all have good numbers this 12 months, however the lack of Belt’s potent bat is definitely a blow to the offense, as it could be to any crew’s.
It’s additionally unlucky timing for Belt, career-wise, as he’s heading into free company in simply over a month. This harm may deny him the flexibility so as to add to his postseason ledger, which already features a pair of World Collection titles with the Giants in 2012 and 2014. Though, primarily based on the unbelievable numbers he’s put up over the previous two seasons, he ought to nonetheless garner loads of curiosity on the open market, even when he’s unable to make one other look this 12 months.
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