Giants First Baseman Brandon Belt Out For Remainder Of Season Following Knee Surgery
Sep 2, 2022, 3:57 PM | Updated: 4:13 pm
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 17: First baseman Brandon Belt #9 of the San Francisco Giants fields the ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park on August 17, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Longtime San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has announced that he will have season-ending surgery on his right knee Saturday morning.
The 34-year-old broke the news on Friday to NBC Sports Bay Area, and the Giants later confirmed the news, stating that he hopes to continue his career after 12 memorable seasons in the orange and black.
“It’s just going to depend. I’m going to play next year if I can get my knee healthy and strong again,” Belt told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic. “Last time I had this surgery (in 2015) I responded really well to it. That’s what I’m anticipating … If I can get it strong like I did (in 2015) then I’ll play, but if not then I’m not going to go out there and be substandard all the time. We’ll just have to see.”
Brandon Belt's season is over, but he told @PavlovicNBCS he hopes to keep playing https://t.co/nGXFFcRO0x pic.twitter.com/fmwGLl4RbS
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 2, 2022
The 2016 All-Star and two-time World Series champion (2012, 2014) will become a free agent following the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Belt struggled to replicate his 2021 season when he hit 29 home runs on a .274 batting average and an on-base percentage of .378. This year, he’s only hit 8 home runs on a .213 batting average and an on-base percentage of 3.26. He has not played more than 100 games since 2019.
Belt is currently on the 10-day IL with right knee inflammation. The upcoming free agent may have played his last game with the Giants at Oracle Park on Aug. 18, against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
As of Friday, Sept. 2, the Giants sit at 61-68 in the MLB standings, 10.5 games out of the last wildcard spot. If San Francisco believes they won’t make the playoffs, it makes sense for Belt to shut down his season early.
