The Giants have announced that third baseman Pablo Sandoval will undergo Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his season and clouding his availability for 2020. Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com further elucidates that Sandoval was evaluated by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Wednesday, who recommended surgery on the injured right elbow of the San Francisco fan favorite (link) The surgery will take place in the first week of September.
Sandoval was placed on the injured list on Aug. 14 with what was believed to be bone chips in his right elbow. Apparently, a further look from Dr. ElAttrache revealed the need for reconstruction of his UCL. This is certainly a most inauspicious end to the five-year, $95MM contract that Sandoval signed in 2015 with the Red Sox, although perhaps this news should be used as a chance to recognize Sandoval’s late resurgence with San Francisco, rather than another opportunity to rehash his tabloid-magnified struggles with Boston from 2015-2017.
While “Kung Fu Panda” was indeed one of the worst players in the bigs over that span, with -2.2 WAR amassed between ’15 and ’17, 2019 has offered the big-bodied third baseman an opportunity to provide at least passable production for the club that originally brought him to fame. His .269/.314/.509 (109 wRC+) line, buttressed by 14 home runs and a personal-best .240 ISO in 295 trips to the plate, earned him consistent looks in manager Bruce Bochy‘s lineup this year, as San Francisco fans were treated to what will likely be their last look at the World Series-winning alignment of Bochy, Madison Bumgarner, Sandoval, Joe Panik, and others.
Poor panda…
lolwut?
WHOA. !!!
Didi Gregorius had TJS in October and was back this June. He’s quite a bit younger though.
And you can fit 4 Didi-s into one of Panda’s jammies…….
Not sure I would call Panda this Giants’ fan a favorite. Hate to see him go through surgery but I still remember the bridges he verbally torched (but didn’t fully burn down) when he left town
Time to forgive and move on!
I’m not a giants fan, but I can think of three reasons I’d like Panda if I was.
I’m not a fan because I can’t get the image of him catching Salvys foul ball and then falling backwards on to our grass to strand the tying run at third in 2014 Game 7.
Panda cash out when the opportunity showed itself. Not many players can get offered 100 mil. Always will be a giants favorite. Oracle Park is still littered with panda hats
Shows how stupid the fan base is
Why? He was always good when he played for the Giants…
So he could be back on the mound by next September, assuming no setbacks?
Well done.
wow that sucks
Guess he’ll have to shovel calories in using his left hand now…
But when he comes back, he’ll be even faster. The new long inning relief specialist
Thank you Panda for a lot of good moments as a Giant….your colorful approach to the game brought you a lot of fans in SF….the Boston nightmare obviously did not help to glorify your career…..but, the overall you did pretty well.
When you think of the San Francisco Giants of the 2000’s
The Kung Fu Panda will always be remembered because of the love for the game and his infectious smile. #48 a FOREVER GIANT !!
Thanks for everything.
He isn’t dead you know.
The Panda is a SF Giant for life… He will be back next year…
This is good news for the Giants organization. Insurance will most likely cover all or most of Pandas 2020 salary.
The Giants don’t owe him any money for 2020. The Red Sox will buy out their $5M option and he’ll become a free agent; regardless of his injury status.
The Giants insurance covers the surgery. The Red Sox pay him a $5 million buy out of the remainder of his contract.
No one signs him for next year and he looks at 2021 as a possible return.
So, most likely he’s taken his last swing as a Major Leaguer.
Whoops my bad. Thanks for the facts.
Don’t be surprised if the Giants still sign him for the minimum next year. He won’t be out the whole season as a position player.
He’ll be a 34 year old platoon player with limited versatility trying to make a comeback after a year of no baseball activity.
He has a very strong recent track record of poor production until this season where he’s been productive but not outstanding. And let’s be kind and say that he’s no workout fanatic.
The odds of him being ready to resume competitive baseball activities are extremely remote. All for the hope that he can somehow replicate this season? And the fact that he’s not the type of player that Zaidi is looking for make this a real long shot.
He’s been arguably the best minimum salary backup in baseball two seasons in a row. His only poor seasons were in Boston, when he had a shoulder injury.
I’m not saying its a slam dunk, just saying not to be surprised.
Come August when the team is out of it and trades are gone; he’s exactly the kind of player they could sign to fill out the rest of the season.
But probably not the Giants. Zaidi will want to use that roster spot on a long shot or a call up, not a warm body doing a farewell tour.
Wow, you west coast guys really need to watch a few games outside of California because this love affair you all have with this guy is beyond belief.
Showed up in Boston in 2015 fat and out of shape with that new $95 Million contract and except for a good April, pretty much stunk the rest of the way and a mannequin could have played third defensively better than he. Then in 2016 he again showed up fat and out of shape tried to fake it and got hurt. being out all year.
Finally in 2017, after famously breaking his belt on a swing, the Sox cut him loose….arguable one of the worst contracts the Sox have ever been guilty of offering.
Back East, we don’t pay for infectious smiles and very limited ability!
Wow, you east coast guys really need to watch a few games outside of eastern time zone because what happened in Boston was not only the entire fault of the Red Sox, but only a slice of the whole story. It should have been no surprise to the Sox that Sandoval’s weight needed to be monitored. It’s what the Giants did after his weight issues cost him a spot on the 2010 playoff roster. After that the Giants had him on a weight regimen. Sandoval went on record as liking the fact that the Sox never mentioned his weight, nor included a weight regimen as a condition of his contract. Back with the Giants, and monitored as he always should have been, Sandoval was a productive performer, even leading baseball in pinch hits this year before going on the IL. You act like the seasons in Boston tell the whole story, when in fact, those seasons are an outlier on an overall productive career. Had the Sox done their homework, and acted accordingly, they could have had the guy with the 21.8 WAR that the Giants got, as opposed to the -2.2 WAR guy. The Sox have nobody to blame but themselves.
“Back East, we don’t pay for infectious smiles and very limited ability!”
But you did. Thanks to the Sox for a productive guy that cost the Giants virtually nothing.
Honestly just shut up.
And I think it’s pathetic you’re blatantly responding to and even overtly quoting other commenters but are too cowardly to say it directly to them.
Uh, I am saying it directly to them.
And who appointed you arbiter of who should post comments and who should shut up? Talk about cowardly. You’re the proverbial pot calling the kettle you know what. Take a hike sparky.
Only one on this blog that makes any sense
You go Tab!
Couldn’t have said it better
Don’t listen to these clowns without all the facts!
He’s a piece of garbage, and Giants fans are fools for welcoming him back like they did. Bigger fools were the Six for signing him in the first place. His weight should not have had to be managed. A grown adult with an ounce of self respect and pride should have managed it himself. He is supposed to be a professional. What a joke.
So Sandoval is a flawed human being. It’s too bad everyone can’t be as perfect as you. Despite his negative WAR seasons in Boston he still carries a 19.8 WAR for his career. That’s hardly garbage, unless you consider guys like Dexter Fowler and Daniel Murphy garbage as well, given their lesser career WAR numbers.
What 2020 salary?
Did anyone else read the doctors name as Dr. El attache and think what a great name for a dr that re-attaches ligaments? Or am I the only one that went to happy hour?
No, that is sweet. Until there is a Dr. Cutandpaste it is the best name. Take that dr James Andrews.
SF needs to just let him go after this year. For real.
He is done
Too bad table muscle couldn’t be used in the surgery, he has plenty to spare.
Yeah, cuz that’s a thing, “table muscle”…Kevin Hart better watch out, star comedian here
Tommy John to undergo Pablo Sandoval surgery.
So the longtime hurler can participate in the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest?
Hang ‘em up
Say what you want, career .280 hitter, won 3 WS titles and has had quite a run. Not many players have had such a run. Call him fat, say he doesn’t care, he doesn’t put in the work, etc… it doesn’t matter, this dude has had a great run. He’s been oft injured and yes, his conditioning could have been better but I just want to say thank you to the Panda and I hope he can latch on with someone next year!
Well said. He’s low hanging fruit to those that only want to make fat jokes. But there are a ton of prospects out there, some highly regarded, who would be lucky to have the career Sandoval has had.
“Low hanging” is probably not the best word choice to defend an overweight person.
Even without the TJS Sandoval was going to be a marginal minor league signing next season. If his career is truly over, then congrats on a productive career, Few can match what he did in the PS. If anyone does sign him, I doubt it will be the Giants. Adios Pablo.
He’s already getting paid to not play for the Red Sox. His dismissal coming from a lack of effort and results…. no pity here.
It is soooooooooo, time for his fat arse, to shut it down. Bye!!!!!
At least they don’t have to fret about giving him a roster spot at the beginning of the year. The guy probably deserved it this year but they need to break the band up.
Would the Giants ever trade or cut ties with the beloved Boring Buster? He has completely lost his game and adds very little value to this club. I still can’t understand why Vogt and Boring Busters’ roles aren’t reversed. Although Avelino made a huge base running error and cost us a run or two, they were still in the game. Of course that was until Buster allows a wild pitch to get past him. Does anyone else feel that Buster shows signs of being scared of the ball?? There are times when a catcher can’t do anything to prevent a ball from getting past him. However, everyone who has played ball, especially catcher, knows you have an obligation to slide your hips and “get big” to prevent a past ball. But if you watch Buster’s technique, he turns his hips and attempts to stop the ball with his glove. Boring Buster’s mistake was just as big as Avelino’s considering the Dbacks scored an insurance run at that point of the game, imho
Agree that Posey has not been at all productive, but that wild pitch that got past him was not his fault whatsoever. There’s not a catcher in baseball that blocks that pitch. It was a good 5-6 feet short of the plate and took a high bounce. Posey was able to slide over to where the ball was heading but he would have to have been out of the catching position to knock it down. No catcher ever has been that quick to move laterally and then get up high enough. You obviously have your issues with Posey, but you have to be fair as well.
I’ll give in a little bit, but I feel Buster’s technique is not very good! Time and time again he turns his hips and upper body sideways and attempts to block the ball with only his glove. I guess you and I see things differently.