Giants' Hunter Pence out 6-8 weeks with fractured arm

San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence fractured his forearm when he was hit by a pitch in a spring training game Thursday, the team announced. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks, the team said.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence fractured his forearm when he was hit by a pitch in a spring training game Thursday, the team announced. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks, the team said.

Opening Day is less than five weeks away. An eight-week recovery time would put his return around the end of April.

Pence, 31, is the only player in the major leagues to play all 324 regular season games over the past two seasons. He has only played fewer than 154 games once in his career, as a rookie in 2007, when he was called up a month into the season and later missed four weeks with a wrist injury. 

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Pence batted .277 with 20 home runs and a .445 slugging percentage last season. He was worth 3.6 wins, according to Baseball Reference's WAR. 

Pence batted .444 in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals, helping lead the Giants to their third world championship in five years.

The Giants signed rightfielder Nori Aoki from the Royals as a free agent this winter. Other outfielders on the roster include Juan Perez and Gregor Blanco, who filled in for Angel Pagan in centerfield last season.

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- Dan Gartland