SAN FRANCISCO — Injuries can come in bunches, as Giants manager Bob Melvin lamented Sunday morning.
But this?
Not even an hour had passed since one Giants outfielder was placed on the injured list when another, Jung Hoo Lee, was forced to leave their Sunday matinee against the Reds in the top of the first inning with a significant injury to his left arm.
The rookie centerfielder dislocated his left shoulder when he crashed into the wall while making a play on a fly ball, manager Bob Melvin said after Giants rebounded for a 6-5 win in extra innings. While they will know more once he undergoes an MRI, the initial prognosis was “not great,” according to Melvin.
“He goes all out,” Melvin said. “When he hit the wall and he went down and didn’t get up, I didn’t have a great feeling about it.”
Only making his return to the starting lineup after missing the past three games with a bruised foot, Lee leaped into the center field wall while giving chase to a fly ball from Jeimer Candelario. He missed the ball, which cleared the bases in a three-run inning, and was in noticeable pain as he crumpled on to the warning track.
Lee’s left arm appeared to get jammed into the wall, and that is where he motioned to head trainer Dave Groeschner, who raced from the dugout to his side along with interpreter Justin Han and Melvin. Lee walked off under his own power, but Groeschner held his left arm in place.
As Lee returned to the dugout, the crowd on hand for the sunny Sunday afternoon series finale chanted his name.
“That guy leaves it all out there,” said starting pitcher Kyle Harrison, who watched the play transpire from the mound. “I have so much respect for him. Hopefully he’s all right. The guy’s just a gamer. He’s going for that ball and, yeah man, comes up with most of the time, too, which is awesome.”
Tyler Fitzgerald took over in center field, leaving Matt Chapman, LaMonte Wade Jr, Wilmer Flores and Mike Yastrzemski as the only regulars left in the Giants’ batting order. Catcher Patrick Bailey had been penciled in to bat fourth as the designated hitter but was scratched approximately 10 minutes before first pitch.
Bailey made his return from a weeklong absence in concussion protocol on Saturday, and the Giants were already missing Jorge Soler (shoulder), Austin Slater (concussion), Nick Ahmed (wrist) and Tom Murphy (knee).
Before the game, Michael Conforto became the sixth Giants position player to be placed on the injured list in just the past eight days. He strained his right hamstring on a single in the fourth inning Saturday night.
Lee could become the seventh.
“It just goes on and on,” Melvin said. “It’s just one of those times during the season where you have to persevere and other guys get some opportunities. Those guys came through today. We won the game. That’s all it’s about. We’ll regroup tomorrow.”
Jung Hoo Lee exited today's game after appearing to injure himself on a collision with the center field wall pic.twitter.com/ocXon6JI8F
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 12, 2024
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
