SAN FRANCISCO — The news for Steven Duggar went from bad to worse Wednesday, as an MRI confirmed that the rookie outfielder suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Surgery, which is the recommended course of action for addressing the injury, would end Duggar’s 2018 season.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy remarked after Wednesday’s game how unfortunate the injury was for Duggar and the team.
“We had our docs look at the MRI and it was confirmed that his shoulder was dislocated, labrum tear,” Bochy said. “It’s been recommended we fix it through surgery. That has not been decided, but that’s being recommended. So it’s really a tough break for him, for us, as well as he was playing. This guy was really igniting us at times. I feel for the kid because he was really in a good place as far as baseball, where he was at defensively, swinging that bat. That’s a tough break.”
Bochy noted that the decision regarding surgery is ultimately Duggar’s to make.
“Well, Duggy is the one that has to make the decision,” Bochy said. “So I’m sure he’ll think about it and decide what he thinks is best for his career, his future. But again, that’s what’s being recommended.”
Bochy was unsure whether there would be alternatives to surgery for addressing the injury.
“I haven’t gone to that extent as far as what else we can do, so I can’t answer that,” Bochy said. “I’m just telling you that we’ve been recommended to go in there and fix it because there’s a labrum tear.”
If Duggar does undergo surgery, he is expected to be able to return for spring training in 2019.
“That’s what I’m hearing,” Bochy said. “If he does have the surgery, he would be ready to start the season next year.”
Duggar suffered the injury after dislocating his shoulder Tuesday night. The shoulder popped back into place as Duggar rolled on the ground, and he was able to finish the game and score its winning run. But he showed up to AT&T Park quite sore Wednesday, and the decision was made to give him an MRI and place him on the 10-day disabled list.
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