Giants place Brandon Belt on DL, recall Matt Duffy

According to Henry Schulman of SF Gate, Brandon Belt is headed back to the 7-day concussion disabled list due to recurring concussion sysmptoms. Matt Duffy, who never left the team, is being recalled.

Belt, 26, already spent over a month on the disabled list due to a broken thumb and then over a week on the DL with concussion symptoms after taking a ball to the head in batting practice. He had 3 hits in 12 at bats against the Mets last week and then had 1 hit in 9 at bats in Milwaukee in the most recent series. He sat out in the rubber match against the Brewers as he had concussion like symptoms.

This season, Belt has a line of .237/.296/.446 with 11 home runs, 24 runs batted in, 14 walks, 55 strikeouts, and a .742 OPS in 51 games. He was set for a huge season after going on a hot streak in the second half of 2013, but injuries have set him back.

In 2013, Belt had a slash of .289/.360/.481 with 17 home runs, 67 runs batted in, 52 walks, 125 strikeouts, and an .841 OPS in 150 games. He had a 4.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), which is considered All-Star level.

“Groeschner (trainer) said recurring concussion symptoms uncommon, but does happen.” – Schulman

Duffy, 23, spent the series in New York with the big league club and went 1 for 10 with a run batted in and 3 strikeouts. He was optioned down to Double-A when Angel Pagan was activated before the Milwaukee series, but never joined the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

This season, in Double-A Richmond, Duffy hit for a slash of .332/.398/.444 with 3 home runs, 62 RBI, and an .842 OPS. His BABIP is .392, but he has had an OPS above .823 at three levels. The 23-year old also has walked 42 times and struck out just 62 times. He had a 132 wRC+ in the competitive Eastern League at Double-A while stealing 20 bases.

In 2013, Duffy played 78 games with the Low-A Augusta GreenJackets where he hit for a line of .307/.405/.418 with 4 home runs, 43 RBI, 23 stolen bases and, had an .823 OPS. He had a wRC+ of 142 while taking 45 walks and striking out just 41 times. He was then called up to the High-A San Jose Giants where he struggled a little. Hit for a slash of .292/.342/.509 with 5 home runs, 14, and an .852 OPS in 26 games. His general numbers were worse, but he was starting to hit for more power and upping his slugging percentage.

The Giants start a three game series with the Royals on Friday as Madison Bumgarner (13-8, 3.21 ERA) and Jason Vargas (8-5, 3.69 ERA) square off. The Giants sit 3.5 games back in the National League West and share the top Wild Card seed with the Cardinals.