SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Giants center fielder Harrison Bader, who hasn’t played since late May because of left foot discomfort, sustained additional injuries to the same foot when he was involved in a scooter crash over the weekend, the team announced Tuesday.
Bader traveled to Indianapolis on Monday for an appointment with a foot specialist. Before he departed, though, he was involved in a crash that occurred “Saturday night/early Sunday morning,” according to a news release from the Giants. The impact of his additional injuries “changed the nature of his evaluation,” which was originally for a case of plantar fasciitis, the release stated.
Bader returned to San Francisco and saw team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki. He will undergo an MRI exam later Tuesday to determine the severity of the injuries sustained from the scooter crash.
The 32-year-old Bader has been a disappointment after signing a two-year, $20.5 million contract in January. He dealt with multiple injuries in spring training and hasn’t made the two-way impact the team anticipated in center field. Bader, who has played for seven teams over parts of 10 major-league seasons, is hitting .170/.198/.358 in 30 games.
This is not the first time the oft-injured veteran has been involved in a scooter-related incident. As a sophomore at the University of Florida in 2014, Bader was suspended from team activities following a late-night scooter crash in Gainesville, Fla., which police investigated.
It was an odd coincidence that Bader’s scooter crash happened the same weekend that former second baseman and 2000 National League MVP Jeff Kent was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The lowlight of Kent’s tenure with the Giants came in the spring of 2001, when he fell off his motorcycle while popping wheelies a mile or so from the team’s camp in Scottsdale, Ariz., and sustained a fractured wrist that sidelined him for the start of the season. Kent initially told team officials and reporters that he sustained the injury while washing his truck.
The Giants also provided two other injury-related updates that were far less bizarre but will have a greater immediate impact on the club.
Infielder Casey Schmitt’s breakout season is likely over after an MRI exam determined he sustained a torn meniscus in his left knee while running the bases Monday night. Schmitt had been on pace for 32 home runs and 85 RBIs while playing all over the diamond. With second baseman Luis Arraez expected to be traded before the Aug. 3 deadline, Schmitt was poised to receive an extended chance to win a job next season as the club’s everyday starter at the position.
The Giants also said right-hander Trevor McDonald will undergo Tommy John surgery to reconstruct a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the surgery next week, and McDonald will almost certainly miss all of next season. The 25-year-old pitcher showed flashes of potential in an otherwise challenging season in which he posted a 5.12 ERA in 14 starts.