He’s no longer the All-Star he once was, but third baseman Pablo Sandoval is still a productive player and a beloved member of the San Francisco Giants.
So it was a bitter pill to swallow for the Giants to announce that Sandoval, the beloved “Kung Fu Panda” and World Series hero, needs Tommy John surgery and won’t play again till next year.
Sandoval and manager Bruce Bochy were especially emotional about the injury because Bochy is retiring at the end of the season and won’t get a chance to coach one of his favorite players again.
The Giants announced that Pablo Sandoval will have Tommy John surgery the first week of September. Terrible news for a guy who resurrected his career. He had said for a couple of weeks that he felt his elbow was in really bad shape.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 24, 2019
Speed bump
Sandoval had resurrected his career this season. After making two All-Star teams and serving as a key member of Giants’ World Series championship teams in 2010, 2012 and 2014, he had fallen off the baseball radar.
In 2016 and 2017, mostly with the Red Sox, Sandoval battled injuries and had an OPS well under .700. He returned to San Francisco for the 2018 season and was slightly better but still hampered by injuries.
But in 2019, Sandoval was batting .269/.314/.509 and was a key bench player for Bochy, though he was battling increasing elbow discomfort over the past couple of weeks.
“This was a tough blow for us with the job he’s been doing, both starting and coming off the bench,” Bochy said, according to ESPN.com.
Pablo Sandoval was evaluated by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Dr. ElAttrache recommends that Sandoval undergo UCL reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. Sandoval will have the procedure done the first week of September.#SFGiants
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) August 24, 2019
An emotional good-bye
Sandoval, 33, vows this won’t be the end of his career, that he can play next season much as Shohei Ohtani has for the Angels after Tommy John last offseason.
But it is the end of his time with Bochy.
“He’s like my dad, he always wants the best for me and he always cares about me. If he wants me to go out there and play I’ll take one more at-bat for him,” Sandoval said. “It’s hard. He’s one of the greatest managers I’ve ever played [for]. Not being around playing the last few weeks of his career, it’s tough, but thank God he gave me the opportunity to play nine years for him and do everything I can for him on the field and off the field. Being part of those three World Series is the most important thing we did together.”
It’s a tough blow for a Giants team on the fringe of the playoff race but also hoping to give one of his favorite sons some more time in the sun.
This is Pablo Sandoval talking about the possibility of getting one more at-bat this season.
A lot of raw emotion here and it’s clear how much of a team-first player he is. Notes he doesn’t want to make an out. pic.twitter.com/2e3XfPPGXh
— Kerry Crowley (@KO_Crowley) August 24, 2019
