SF Giants shut down SS Brandon Crawford with left knee discomfort

The SF Giants are holding shortstop Brandon Crawford out of baseball activities for at least one week due to left knee discomfort.

Marc Delucchi | Mar 15, 2023

SF Giants shut down SS Brandon Crawford with left knee discomfort /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants will keep shortstop Brandon Crawford out of baseball activities for at least one week because of discomfort in his left knee. The 36-year-old shortstop has struggled this spring offensively, going 1-for-11 at the plate with a pair of walks and zero extra-base hits.

SF Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford jogging into the dugout between innings. (2022) — SF Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford jogs into the dugout between innings. (2022) / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

“We are just trying to get him ready for Opening Day,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said about the team's decision to shut down Crawford. “We don’t see a lot of value in trying to stick him out there at shortstop and pushing him really hard. We want him to be ready for New York. We’re just going to have that mindset of getting him as physical and comfortable as possible for Opening Day.”

Any prolonged absence from Crawford could have huge detrimental consequences for the Giants' depth chart. Of course, at 36, the odds are against Crawford remaining healthy for the entirety of a 162-game season. Still, Thairo Estrada is the only other player on the 40-man roster with recent big-league experience at shortstop.

Crawford is looking to rekindle his 2021 form, when he received his third career All-Star selection and Gold Glove award. He hit .298/.373/.522 with 24 home runs in the Giants' 107-win campaign.

Last season, however, Crawford's offensive production plummeted to its worst levels in roughly a decade. As the Giants regressed into mediocrity, Crawford posted a .231/.308/.344 triple-slash in 118 games with just 15 doubles, and 8 home runs.

Crawford dealt with some knee issues throughout last season, and according to Kapler, he is dealing with a similar injury this spring. Hoping that better health could lead Crawford to a resurgent season at the plate, the SF Giants have added reason to prioritize resting the veteran prior to the start of the regular season.

Published Mar 15, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).