SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Giants third baseman Casey Schmitt had to exit Monday night’s matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers early after suffering a left knee injury during the bottom of the second inning.
The injury appeared to happen as Schmitt rounded first base after hitting a single to right field. Following the play, he was clearly in pain, clutching at his lower left leg while showing visible signs of distress.
Despite the injury, Schmitt was able to make his way off the field on his own, though he was visibly limping with a trainer walking alongside him. Backup player Christian Koss stepped in to replace him, and San Francisco went on to defeat Milwaukee 3-0.
Manager Tony Vitello spoke about the moment after the game concluded. “Scary moment there for him,” Vitello said. “He’s a unique personality, but he’s definitely got a level of toughness to him. And you go out there and he was really struggling just to kind of even move around there with (head trainer Dave Groeschner) checking on him.”
Schmitt is scheduled to have an MRI, and it has not yet been determined whether he will be placed on the injury list. However, Vitello made clear that the third baseman is unlikely to return to action quickly.
“At this point, (he is) probably going to miss some significant time,” Vitello said. “But based off what we see tomorrow, be interesting what (Groeschner) has, hoping it’s as limited an amount of time as possible.”
Schmitt’s injury is the latest blow to a San Francisco roster already dealing with multiple absences. Third baseman Matt Chapman is currently out with an abdominal strain, while outfielders Jung Hoo Lee and Victor Bericoto are sidelined with a right elbow issue and a left oblique strain, respectively.
With Schmitt now hurt, Vitello indicated the team will look to another player to handle third base duties rather than rushing Chapman back from his own injury.
This season, Schmitt has posted a .271 batting average along with 21 home runs and 55 RBIs — all career highs. He is playing under a one-year contract worth $810,000.
