The San Francisco Giants’ star catcher may be out for the season after suffering a fractured bone in his lower left leg on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Buster Posey—the reigning National League Rookie of the Year—and a member of the Giants World Series championship team last year, was put on the disabled list after a collision at the plate on Wednesday night.
The 24-year-old catcher is still scheduled to undergo an MRI, but it looks like the defending champions will have to defend their title without Posey.
Posey is batting .284 with 4 home runs and 21 RBIs in 45 games this season.
He was attempting to block the plate during last night’s game in Florida, when Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins ran him over as he scored on a sac-fly from third. That run proved to be the game-winning run in the Marlins 7-6 victory.
After the collision, Posey was rolling around in the dirt in noticeable pain.
Cousins, who was clearly concerned after scoring, immediately went to check if Posey was okay.
“It’s part of baseball, I understand that, guys running into catchers. Being a catcher, I’ve been in a few of them,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, according to the Associated Press. “You’re in harm’s way there,”
As Posey dug his fingers into the dirt, the Giants trainers came out to check on their young star.
Giants fans chanted “Posey, Posey, Posey!” as they rallied behind one of the teams most popular players.
After laying on the ground for just over a minute, Posey had to be helped off the field by the team staff.
The loss of Posey is a crushing blow to the Giants (27-21) who are trying to remain in first place in the NL West. They have struggled offensively this season, and are currently 29th in the majors in runs scored and 24th in home runs.
Backup catcher Eli Whiteside will be Posey’s replacement for now.
