SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ season took yet another bizarre turn Tuesday when the team announced that outfielder Harrison Bader was involved in a scooter accident this past weekend and suffered additional damage to the left foot that he was already rehabbing.
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Bader, 32, hasn’t played since May 29 because of left plantar fasciitis. He got into the accident sometime around “Saturday night/early Sunday morning,” according to the Giants. The team didn’t provide any additional details about the incident.
Despite the accident, Bader still met with a foot and ankle specialist in Indianapolis on Monday as originally planned. Bader recently stopped baseball activities due to continued soreness, and his consultation was meant to determine the severity of his left plantar fasciitis. However, Bader’s injuries from the accident complicated the meeting with the specialist.
Bader returned to San Francisco on Monday and was examined by Dr. Ken Akizuki. He will undergo an MRI to diagnose the severity of the injuries from the scooter crash.
According to manager Tony Vitello, Bader’s injury did not require a hospital stay. Vitello was not aware of the specifics regarding whether Bader fell off the scooter or was hit by an automobile.
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“There’s a chance it could delay whatever the recovery process is for him. Again, even prior to it, we’re looking at a pretty frustrating and long runway before he could get on the field again,” Vitello said.
This isn’t the first time that Bader has been involved in a scooter accident. In 2014, Bader was suspended from the University of Florida’s baseball team after being in an alcohol-related scooter accident. He was suspended for the first 19 games of his sophomore season.
Bader, 32, signed a two-year, $20.5 million deal with the Giants in the offseason to shore up San Francisco but has barely played due to a left hamstring strain and left plantar fasciitis. Over 30 games, Bader has hit .170 with five home runs and been worth -0.5 WAR, per FanGraphs’ calculation.
The news of Bader’s accident comes on the same day that the Giants announced utilityman Casey Schmitt sustained a torn left meniscus and rookie right-hander Trevor McDonald will undergo UCL reconstruction surgery next week.
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