Madison Bumgarner injury update: No surgery required
San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner will not need surgery after his dirt bike accident.
In a season that has dealt them nothing but bad news so far, the San Francisco Giants received some slightly good news on Tuesday. Madison Bumgarner’s recovery from his dirt bike accident last week is going well, and he will not require surgery for his injuries. He is expected to begin rehab by the end of this week.
Initial evaluation on Bumgarner is hopeful. No surgery. Already calming down. Will start rehab in 4-5 days. Might be mound ready in 2 months
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) April 25, 2017
Bumgarner suffered serious injuries last week on the team’s off day in Colorado while riding a dirt bike in the Rockies. He suffered a sprained shoulder and bruised ribs. Bumgarner was briefly hospitalized, and was lucky the injuries were not worse.
It’s still not a great situation for the Giants. They are 7-13 through their first 20 games, and have struggled both at the plate and on the mound. The Giants are batting .233/.295/.359 with only 71 runs. Bumgarner was 0-3 on the year despite a 3.00 ERA. Johnny Cueto, Matt Moore, and Jeff Samardzija have not pitched up to their respective contracts, and are a combined 4-8.
Provided the Giants can turn things around, Bumgarner is in line to return by the middle of July. His absence is not necessarily a death sentence to San Francisco, but their margin for error was already very low to begin with after this slow start. Ty Blach will have first crack at replacing Bumgarner in the rotation.
Next: MLB Power Rankings: Top 30 stadiums of all time
Blach went 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings in the big leagues last year. The left-hander threw eight innings of three-hit ball in a crucial game against the Los Angeles Dodgers last October. He will make his first start of the year Tuesday night and is up against a tough task as Clayton Kershaw pitches for the Dodgers.