The Giants are starting to get banged-up as Opening Day is less than three weeks away.
According to Giants manager Gabe Kapler on Monday, shortstop Brandon Crawford will be sidelined for the next week as he fights through left knee soreness. It’s the same knee that give him problems last year and sent him to the disabled list after a home plate collision in late June.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the news, along with some more injury updates from Scottsdale.
The 36-year-old Crawford is about to embark on the final season of the two-year, $32 million extension he signed before the 2022 campaign. After the deal with Carlos Correa fell through this past offseason, the Giants are pretty thin at shortstop.
If Crawford is unable to go on opening day, Thairo Estrada remains the lone logical option at the position. The Giants are set to begin their 2023 season on April 30 at the New York Yankees. But this also sounds like an issue that Crawford will have to deal with for the next seven months.
Over the weekend, Giants outfielder Mitch Haniger also suffered an oblique strain and right-hander Alex Cobb had to be removed from Saturday’s game after taking a line drive off his left knee.
In 2022, Crawford couldn’t replicate the 2021 success that catapulted him to fourth place in National League MVP voting. Still, he remains a key part to the defense and lineup in his 13th season with the organization.
Related
