Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Steven Duggar’s trying season is likely over.
The Giants moved the young outfielder to the 60-day injured list Friday, leaving the only route for him to return as a possible playoff addition — a tall ask for the Giants, who entered play three games back of the second NL wild card.
Duggar has a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, the same one that required surgery last season. Duggar told reporters it’s a Grade 3 separation, and he’s “leaning to” a surgery that would entail about a three-month recovery process.
“When I landed I kind of felt like it was something a little bit serious,” Duggar said before the Giants played the Phillies at Oracle Park. “… We’re still deciding what to do. Think the smartest thing is to weigh all the options.”
The options include waiting it out to see if it heals on its own in time or going under the knife soon and, barring a playoff run, having a second straight season wiped out by shoulder surgery.
Last season it was a torn labrum suffered diving into second base. This year it was making a great catch in right field and tumbling over that left shoulder.
He emphasized it’s a different injury — with a shorter recovery time. Still, it’s a difficult diagnosis for a 25-year-old who has yet to prove himself at the big-league level.
“That’s how I’ve always played,” Duggar said of his hard-nosed play that has resulted in injury. “You don’t want to sacrifice who you are just because you’re banged up.”
Without Duggar, the Giants called up Joey Rickard, whose bat was in Friday’s lineup. They do not have a lot to evaluate from Duggar, whose year likely has finished with a .234/.278/.341 slash line in 73 games.
Bad eggs cost him coming out of spring training. A bad back cropped up later in the season. And a bad shoulder may be the last blow.
“I feel awful for Duggie,” Bruce Bochy said. “It’s tough enough to go through it one time. Have the surgery, you’re excited to come back. He was excited about being back on the field. And then to go through it a second time, it can be disheartening. But he’s a tough kid. He’s got a great attitude right now.”