Brandon Crawford’s knee only felt right for one game after taking a midsummer sabbatical in the last week of June.
The shortstop and the Giants thought rest would cure the soreness. There was no way to simulate the stresses of live action while on the IL, though. Hitting, running and fielding felt fine, Crawford said. But in the middle of his second game back, and every game since, pain his right knee persisted.
So for the fourth time in his 12-year career — and second time this season — Crawford is hitting the injured list. The right knee discomfort, exacerbated by a June 21 collision at home plate in Atlanta, is taking him away from the Giants through the All-Star break and potentially longer.
“It just hasn’t been getting better,” Crawford told reporters Saturday.
Crawford, who finished fourth in MVP voting last season, is hitting .215 and has a negative WAR, per Baseball-Reference, in 2022. After returning to the club after the first IL stint, he hit .152 in nine games.
The four-time Gold Glove winner has committed 11 fielding errors in 70 games — two more than he registered in all of 2021. He said he probably notices the discomfort most on defense, but it can limit him at times on the base paths or in the batter’s box, too.
It’s possible Crawford spends more than the minimum time on the IL, but it’s too early to know for certain. He underwent an MRI on Saturday. In late June, he only thought he’d miss a couple days.
The injury reminds Crawford of his barking knee in 2018, he said. That time, he played through the pain but suffered for it — he hit .193 in the second half with a .544 OPS after slashing .293/.363/.462 in the first half.
That 2018 injury didn’t linger past that summer, though. He said he hasn’t felt this pain in the four years since; the awkward slide in Atlanta likely exacerbated things.
In the short term, Thairo Estrada will take Crawford’s place as San Francisco’s everyday shortstop. But the veteran’s uncertain availability could put pressure on the front office to add infield depth before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
Manager Gabe Kapler repeated the same messages as he did the first time Crawford hit the IL. The Giants want him to be as healthy as he can be so he can perform like he did last year. They want to do what they can to help him come back stronger. They need to be careful not to rush things.
“We really want to get this thing right, so he can be the freshest, most athletic version of himself possible,” Kapler said. “Right now he’s just still struggling with this thing not being right. It’s hampered him.”