DENVER -- The Giants will be without their most valuable position player in the coming weeks, as third baseman Matt Chapman landed on the 10-day injured list with right hand inflammation prior to Tuesday night’s series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field.
San Francisco replaced Chapman on the 26-man roster by recalling infielder Christian Koss from Triple-A Sacramento.
Chapman jammed his throwing hand after diving back to first base in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Giants’ 4-3 win over the Braves on Sunday. He immediately grimaced after he was picked off to end the inning and was briefly evaluated by team trainer Anthony Reyes and manager Bob Melvin, though he ended up staying in the game to play third in the top of the ninth.
X-rays came back negative, but Chapman said his hand was starting to feel stiff after the game and he feared he might have damaged the ligaments in his index, middle and ring fingers. His initial suspicions were confirmed on Monday, when an MRI exam revealed sprained ligaments in those digits and a bone bruise in his right hand.
Chapman said he’ll know more about his timetable after he’s evaluated by hand specialist Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles on Friday, but he’s expecting to miss more than 10 days and is hoping to return by the end of the first half.
“It sucks because I felt like we had just won five games in a row,” Chapman said before Tuesday’s game. “We were starting to get some momentum going. I felt like I was really starting to put together some really good at-bats and feel good. Just bad timing, but that’s the way this is sometimes. I’m really bummed out. I’m happy that I get to be able to come back at some point and help our team by the end of the first half and throughout the whole second half and really help the team. That's my focus right now. That’s what’s motivating me.”
Losing Chapman will be a blow for the Giants, as the five-time Gold Glove third baseman was batting .243 with an .812 OPS and a team-high 12 home runs over his first 65 games of the year. Casey Schmitt, another slick-fielding infielder, will likely fill in at third for Chapman in the interim.
“Every team goes through injuries,” Melvin said. “We’ve actually been probably pretty lucky as far as injuries go this year. Some guys are probably a little bit more valuable than others. Obviously, [Chapman] means a lot to us, but Casey gets a chance to play the position that he’s used to playing. Everybody’s got to pick it up a little bit until he comes back. It’s just something we have to deal with.”
A natural third baseman, Schmitt has seen most of his action at first base this year and is hitting .180 with a .521 OPS over 20 games. Still, Melvin said he thinks giving Schmitt a chance to play regularly at the position he’s most comfortable with could help the 26-year-old finally settle in at the plate.
Schmitt admitted that he has a tendency to tinker too much with his swing, so he simply wants to focus on trusting himself and “not try to do too much” now that he’s going to be counted on to take over third-base duties.
“It sucks that Chappy hurt his hand, but hopefully we get him back as soon as possible,” Schmitt said. “He’s an extremely big part of this team and a leader in this clubhouse. Can’t wait for him to come back.
“He’s the best defensive third baseman in baseball. I’m just going to try to go out and try to make every single play. He’s always there for me. He’s been helping me out with everything. It’s always good to have that person to be there with you to kind of just show you things.”
Koss, 27, batted .219 with a .541 OPS and one home run over 29 games before he was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento as part of the Giants’ roster shakeup last week.