Just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse for the San Francisco Giants, the team suffered a major blow. Ace Madison Bumgarner, who has never been on the disabled list in his major-league career, hurt his left shoulder and bruised his ribs after a dirt bike accident during the off day.
The story is developing, but doctors determined Bumgarner is either dealing with a Grade 1 or 2 AC joint sprain. Given it's to his pitching shoulder, this raises immediate concerns about how long Bumgarner will be sidelined.
The 27-year-old lefty lands on the disabled list after a strong start to the season with 27 innings pitched, a 28/4 K/BB ratio and 2.36 FIP. On Wednesday, he threw six shutout innings in his return to Kauffman Stadium, where he won the World Series with one of the greatest playoff performances ever seen in the history of playoff baseball.
One of the best pitchers in all of baseball, he will miss at least his next two starts given it's an AC joint sprain and a rib injury. Doctors in Denver already released him from the hospital and he is resting at the hotel, according to a statement released by the team.
San Francisco sits at 6-10 currently on the year, tied for the second-worst mark in baseball, and faces a tough series in Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. It's likely the team pushes lefty Ty Blach into the rotation. Blach made his MLB debut last season and in two starts last season, he allowed two runs over 11 innings. He is a pitch-to-contact hitter and doesn't offer enough upside to be picked up off the waiver wire.
UPDATE:
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported on Twitter just a few minutes ago that early expectations are for Bumgarner to miss the next six-to-eight weeks. If this tiemtable happens, it rocks the Giants' rotation for the next two months and the team's chances of competing for the playoffs.
Blach should slide into the rotation immediately and make his first start of the 2017 season against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Blach started against Los Angeles once last season and shut them out across eight innings with just three hits and one walk allowed. While nothing remotely close to those numbers should be expected in his next start, Los Angeles has faired very poorly against southpaws.