Brandon Crawford has hit the 10-day injured list for the third time this season, and his left forearm strain is significant enough that he’ll get imaging done on it.
Crawford, 36, has battled knee discomfort and other lower body ailments for much of this season. But the arm issue is a relatively new issue that he’s been “grinding” through recently, manager Gabe Kapler said.
“He’s been grinding,” Kapler told reporters, via The Mercury News. He’s been grinding mentally. He’s been struggling. But he’s also dealing with physical things that have made it more difficult for him to have success,” Kapler said. “He’s had some forearm tightness in his left elbow, which really hasn’t enabled him to get on top of the baseball like he wants to, and we know that he’s dealt with some knee soreness over the course of the season. I think those two things combined make it pretty clear we need to get him a day off and potentially a day off tomorrow as well.”
Before getting placed on the IL, Crawford was hitless in his last 15 at-bats, eight of which resulted in a strikeout. He’s hitting .194 on the season. Among the 42 shortstops with at least 200 plate appearances, Crawford’s 59 wRC+ ranks 38th.
Crawford has shown flashes on both sides of the ball, but they have been infrequent and typically happen briefly after coming off the IL.
The 13-year veteran is in the last year of his contract, which he earned during his fantastic 2021 campaign.
Crawford has been exceptionally durable during his career, but has spent more and more time in the training room in the past two seasons. In a midseason interview with KNBR, he said it takes much more preparation to feel physically good every day now than it did earlier in his career.
In Crawford’s absence, the Giants have rookie Casey Schmitt, Thairo Estrada, Johan Camargo and Wilmer Flores as infield options.
- Reliever John Brebbia and Mitch Haniger are both beginning rehab assignments on Tuesday — Brebbia in the Arizona Complex League and Haniger with the Triple-A River Cats.
Each player could return for the Giants’ playoff push in September.
- Top prospect Kyle Harrison is with the team in Philadelphia ahead of his Tuesday MLB debut. He’ll wear No. 45 and pitch in front of a crowd that includes his parents, younger brother, girlfriend and about 10 friends.
- The Giants’ playoff odds before the series opener against the Phillies, per Fangraphs, is at 62%. The Marlins, Diamondbacks and Reds — each at 64-61 — trail San Francisco by 1.5 games.
- According to multiple reports, including The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser and Japanese journalist Yuki Yamada, the Giants are signing Nippon Pro Baseball star Yoshi Tsutsugo to a minor-league contract.
Tsutsugo has played for the Pirates, Dodgers and Rays across three MLB seasons. The first baseman and outfielder has as career .197 batting average and 18 home runs in 182 games.