SF Giants lose Patrick Bailey to second concussion of young career

PHILADELPHIA – No one, not even Patrick Bailey, thought the tip of his facemask early Friday night had been bad enough to foul the receiver for the second time in seven months. He felt good. Well enough to draw a leadoff walk, run the bases and score from second on a double to right field.

However, the next inning Bailey was out of the match.

Before the first pitch Saturday, the 24-year-old Gold Glove finalist was placed on the injured list with a concussion, ruling him out for at least the next seven days. To give the Giants a second catcher on their roster, they recalled Blake Sabol from Triple-A Sacramento.

“As far as those things go, I hope it’s smooth,” manager Bob Melvin said. “You can really tell which ones really understand you and which ones bite you a little bit. I’m not sure he’s in this position yet, but considering he’s had these situations before, it’s an easy decision to make.

Last September, Jeimer Candelario of the Cubs hit Bailey during a play at the plate. The next day, he was placed on IL due to his initial concussion and missed the next seven days.

In the first inning of Friday’s 4-3 loss, Alec Bohm fouled a 1-1 offering from Jordan Hicks that hit Bailey directly in his facemask, the traditional style with leather padding that attaches to the protective helmet covering the rest of his face. head.

Bailey initially stayed in the game, finishing the inning, participating in the two-run rally in the top half of the second and catching the first batter in the bottom half. After Nick Castellanos hit Matt Chapman with a ground ball, Bailey headed to the dugout. After a lengthy discussion with Melvin and head coach Dave Groeschner, Bailey returned to the dugout and was replaced by Tom Murphy.

“He said the at-bat was OK,” Melvin said. “The round that he ended up waving to us for, that’s when he was kind of like, ‘Something’s wrong.’”

Bailey told them he was feeling dizzy and his vision was blurry, Melvin said. Because he was in concussion protocol, Bailey was not available to speak to reporters.

The previous at-bat, Hicks threw a slider into the strike zone that drew his attention to Bailey’s condition.

“Oddly enough, he struggled in some way,” Hicks said. “I’ve never seen that from him. I was like, hmm. I was wondering if something was wrong. …I hope he’s okay. I think of him. I don’t want anyone to have blurred vision when I cast.

This is Bailey’s second concussion in the calendar year he has played in the big leagues. He wears a medical device around his neck intended to reduce the risk. Murphy, who started Saturday in his place, suggested changing his mask could be beneficial.

“It’s terrifying, isn’t it?” » said Murphy. “Pat had some concussions and that sort of thing. I feel deeply for this child. I hope he finds a better mask for himself or something. I know he wears a collar to help him. I really hope he’s okay.

As a former receiver, Melvin is sure to have suffered head injuries.

But he said: “At the time I was playing, no one knew. You just had a headache. Today, they know a lot more about them.

“MLB has gone the extra mile to make sure we protect these guys,” he continued. “There are tests he will have to pass to come back. There’s a lot more information these days and I think that protects players.

In the meantime, the Giants will split catching duties between Murphy and Sabol, who represent a significant downgrade defensively but conveniently possess strong platoon splits on opposing sides. The Giants have a mix of righties and lefties coming in, and Melvin said, “We’re taking it day by day. »

With right-hander Taijuan Walker on the mound Sunday, Sabol will then likely receive his first start of the season. He was warming up Carson Seymour when Triple-A manager Dave Brundage called him into his office and told him to pack his bags and take the next available flight to Philadelphia.

Connecting through Phoenix, Sabol arrived at the team hotel around 6 a.m.

In 21 games at Triple-A Sacramento, the 26-year-old left-handed hitter is hitting .243 with one home run and a .703 OPS, but said he has only recently started to gain his timing. More emphasis was placed on his defense, making 16 starts behind the plate and only five at first base (none in the outfield).

Melvin said Sabol told him he “felt as good behind the plate as ever.” He allowed four passed balls but struck out four of his nine stolen base attempts.

“I did a really good job there,” Sabol said. “Blocking was an important point for me last year. … I worked really hard with (fellow receiver Jackson Reetz). It’s just the two of us there, so that’s a lot of playing time. He’s a great guy who can just bounce ideas off each other and figure things out.

“And Brundy does a great job controlling the running game, teaching us when the right time is to slide, to throw, to go back, stuff like that. I think that’s part of the reason we had success there, just doing a really good job controlling the running game with the pitching staff.