Bochy says Belt in hospital with possible appendicitis pic.twitter.com/0rXTFxh7fk
— KNBR (@KNBR) June 2, 2018
SAN FRANCISCO — Just when the Giants thought they had more or less their full lineup back on the field, another one of their players suffered an injury.
Brandon Belt left Friday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies with a stomach illness prior to the third inning and was replaced at first by Pablo Sandoval. According to manager Bruce Bochy, however, Belt’s issues are potentially a lot more complex than just a basic stomach illness.
“He’s at the hospital right now being evaluated for appendicitis,” Bochy said. “So yeah, he just started feeling really bad there, so took him out, and so getting checked out right now as we speak. I mean, we’ll see what happens tonight.”
Regarding Belt’s long-term prospects, Bochy admitted the team will wait for Belt to be diagnosed before they take any action.
“I mean, it’s obvious if that is the case and he does have appendicitis, then, you know, that changes things quite a bit, really,” Bochy said. “And so we’ll wait and see the news that we get from the hospital.”
Belt’s departure from the game was disheartening for a team that just returned one of its key contributors in Joe Panik.
Pablo Sandoval replaced Brandon Belt at first. Just when the Giants got their full lineup out there …
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) June 2, 2018
Additionally, silence from the team caused speculation over the nature of his injury.
Belt also has been battling some knee soreness. Still have no idea what happened to him. #sfgiants
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) June 2, 2018
Eventually, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reported that a stomach illness was the culprit.
Belt left tonight’s game with a stomach illness. #sfgiants
— Amy Gutierrez (@AmyGGiants) June 2, 2018
Nevertheless, there was no indication that the injury was as serious as appendicitis until Bochy’s press conference after the game.
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