The San Francisco Giants will be without their leadoff hitter for the final week of the regular season as well as the playoffs. Angel Pagan will have surgery on Thursday to repair a bulging disk and inflamed nerve in his back, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
Angel Pagan injury: Giants CF to have back surgery, out for season
Recovery following the surgery is expected to take three months.
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Recovery is expected to take three months.
Pagan played just once in the previous seven games before Tuesday, and was already ruled out of the three-game series against the National League West-leading Dodgers in Los Angeles.
“There was no sense trying,” Bochy said of Pagan trying to return, per Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area. “This wasn’t going to work.”
Pagan hit .300/.342/.389 with 56 runs scored in 96 games for the Giants this season. He missed 44 games from June 15 to Aug. 7 with inflammation in his back earlier this season, and the Giants went 18-26. San Francisco was in first place with a seven-game lead when Pagan was placed on the disabled list, but when he returned they were in second place, two games out.
The Giants are 56-35 (.615) when Pagan starts this year, and 29-36 (.446) when he doesn’t.
Gregor Blanco starts in center field for the Giants on Wednesday night, his third straight start at the position and 52nd start in center field this season. The club also started Juan Perez in center field last week in four games in Arizona and San Diego.
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