Giants get awful update on Brandon Belt right before playoffs
Longtime San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt gets a troubling injury update right before the 2021 MLB playoffs.
Leading a team of longtime veterans considered longshot playoff contenders, the San Francisco Giants are about to cap off a tremendous regular season that saw them winning the NL West title.
Now, it looks like they’re going to have to do that without a hand from Brandon Belt.
Brandon Belt had an X-ray today that revealed a fracture in his left thumb
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) September 28, 2021
In his eleventh season as an SF Giant, Belt suffered a brutal hit from a 93-mph fastball while batting in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
Belt was hit on his left hand while squaring around to bunt, but he stayed in the game after getting it wrapped pic.twitter.com/z80NiaE5V7
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 26, 2021
Despite the x-ray confirmation, Belt is still listed as “DD” on ESPN’s Giants depth chart. Second-string first baseman Darin Ruf is listed as “10” with a designation on the 10-day injury list for a right oblique strain.
ROSTER MOVES: IF/OF Darin Ruf placed on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to September 20) with a right oblique strain.
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 23, 2021
OF Alex Dickerson returned from his rehab assignment and reinstated from the 10-day Injured List.
San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt enters October with fractured thumb
Drafted in 2009, Belt has been with the team since 2011 and won championships with the Giants in 2012 and 2014. With the team making a strong playoff push in a highly-competitive division, Belt’s injury adds to a long list of injured Giants players like Johnny Cueto and Jake McGee.
The Belt news stings even more after “Captain Belt” had a record-setting night on Saturday, hitting the team’s 236th home run of the season. The home run set a new single-season franchise record and put their magic number at 6, which has now been reduced to just 5.
According to Sideline Sports Doc, a finger fracture typically takes 3-6 weeks to heal, meaning that Belt could be sidelined for the majority of the playoff season. If the Giants made it to Game 7 of the World Series on Nov. 3, Belt will be in his sixth week of recovery.
Despite the loss of Belt, the Giants preach resilience in what’s been a historic season of copious wins on the road.
Final record on the road for this squad: 53-28, which ties the club record for road wins in the San Francisco era (’93).#ResilientSF | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/jllwcURpJ5
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 26, 2021
Trending. MLB Playoff Picture: Giants become first team to clinch a playoff berth. light