Angel Pagan will undergo season-ending back surgery
By Hayden Kane
The San Francisco Giants knew that Angel Pagan was going to need back surgery. They were just hoping he would be able to put it off and play through the discomfort for the remainder of the season and postseason.
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With just six regular season games remaining, it has become clear that the outfielder is going to have to undergo surgery sooner than the Giants were hoping. On Tuesday night, the team announced that Pagan will undergo season-ending back surgery and be out three months.
Per multiple reports:
Surgery for Pagan on thursday. Three month rehab.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) September 24, 2014
Bochy on Pagan: "There was no sense trying. This wasn't going to work." Blanco will bat leadoff, Perez/Brown/Dominguez/Ishi options in LF.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) September 24, 2014
Pagan having surgery. His season is over.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) September 24, 2014
San Francisco’s motivation to try and defer the operation was fairly clear, of course, as Pagan makes the San Francisco lineup significantly better. In 96 games of action this season, for example, Pagan is batting .300/.342/.389 with 16 stolen bases. That kind of dynamic presence at the top of the lineup makes the Giants a different team. Buster Olney provided another stat to show Pagan’s importance.
Angel Pagan a huge loss for the Giants. In the games he's played, they're 56-35; when he hasn't played, 29-36.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) September 24, 2014
As they seem to do as well as anybody, the Giants will have to piece together a way to win games without a key player in the lineup as they look ahead to the playoffs.
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