San Francisco Giants star catcher Buster Posey was removed from the lineup ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox in order to deal with an inflamed nerve in his right thumb, per Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
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Posey Considered Day-to-Day
Tuesday, June 4
According to CSN Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, Posey has dealt with the injury throughout the 2016 season, and the issue is unlikely to keep him out for too long.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy penciled Trevor Brown into the lineup at catcher Tuesday against the Red Sox.
Posey has been an iron man of sorts for San Francisco in recent years, averaging 148 games played over the previous four seasons. Although he had a foot injury near the dawn of the 2016 campaign, it wound up being a mere day-to-day ailment.
The Giants have won three World Series titles since Posey became their full-time backstop. He also has the versatility to play first base when need be, so losing him for any period of time is especially detrimental on defense.
What makes Posey so valuable, though, is his prowess at the plate, as he has posted a career .307 batting average to date. Most catchers never hit that well, but the 29-year-old has proved for years he’s exceptional in that area.
No one can make up for Posey’s individual impact. It will take a collective effort from everyone else stepping up to compensate for Posey’s absence while he recovers.
The good news is the Giants have a promising backup in Brown, who offers a ton of upside and is only 24 years of age. Brown, whom the team called up for 13 games last season, will benefit immensely from the experience he’ll gain filling in for now.
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