Giants outfielder Angel Pagan to have season-ending back surgery

Giants outfielder Angel Pagan will have season-ending back surgery on Thursday to repair a bulging disk.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Angel Pagan will have season-ending back surgery on Thursday to repair a bulging disk, the team announced.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that Pagan is expected to be out for three months and should be ready for spring training. The Giants are 21 games (56-35) over .500 when Pagan starts this season, and eight games (29-37) under when he doesn’t. 

"It's just time to get something done," Bochy said, according to MLB.com. "This thing's been nagging him for three or four months. It's just not getting any better. We want to get it done now so he'll be a full go in spring training."

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Pagan, 33, hit .300 with three home runs and 27 RBI in 96 games this season. 

"This is a bad-luck situation because if the bulge moves a little bit more to the other side, then I'll be playing, no problem," Pagan said.

San Francisco is 4.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West with five games remaining in the regular season. The Giants magic number to clinch a playoff spot is two. 

- Scooby Axson