On Saturday, Norichika Aoki was hit in the leg with a pitch, and ha ha, we sure love to have fun with the pictures of him getting hit by a pitch or jumping out of the way. Except this one was different. He stayed down for a long time. He clearly had trouble going around the bases and scoring on a sac fly. He came out of the game. And when he made it back to the lineup on Tuesday, he was scratched before it started.
A new x-ray has the diagnosis: a BROKEN LEG. Fractured leg. Whatever. The report is that Aoki will be out at least two weeks, but that's just a low-end estimate of how long he'll be in a cast. It could be much longer, and as we've learned with Hunter Pence, there can still be tangentially related issues after the player returns.
In Aoki's place, we are expected to get Travis Ishikawa. This will presumably push Belt into left, except for the Buster Posey mini-rest days.
Let this be a lesson to all of us: Never worry about depth. One second, you're wondering how a hot Gregor Blanco is going to keep getting at-bats, and the next, blammo, concussions! Broken bones! More broken bones! Angel Pagan is now the healthiest starting Opening Day outfielder.
That guy, the one who needed back surgery last year and doesn't have all of the ligaments in right knee, who just tumbled and fell on his good knee, is the paragon of health. Everyone else can't stop getting hit by baseballs.
The 2015 Giants: Pretty good, until they are hit with baseballs
Put it on a t-shirt and send me a link. It's a bummer that Aoki will likely miss the All-Star Game, but it's also a bummer that his slappy-scrappy bat will be replaced with Ishikawa's bat, as the postseason legend and minor deity was hitting .271/.342/.421 in Triple-A, with 41 strikeouts and 13 walks in 149 plate appearances.
The starting lineup now features Justin Maxwell and Ishikawa, most likely.
I just wanted to tell you good luck, Giants. And we're all counting on you.