SF Giants 2022 1st-round pick likely to miss 2025 season after undergoing major shoulder surgery

SF Giants 2022 first-round pick Reggie Crawford's pro career is hitting an unexpected detour. The pitching prospect underwent surgery on Friday to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

SF Giants 2022 1st-round pick likely to miss 2025 season after undergoing major shoulder surgery

According to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, the estimated recovery time ranges from 10 to 12 months. At best, he could return to the mound near the end of next season. However, given the nature of the surgery, the Giants might just opt for him to focus on getting ready for the 2026 season.

It is an unfortunate turn of events for Crawford. He missed the entire 2021 college season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The left-handed hurler did make his pro debut on the mound in 2023 but the Giants were understandably cautious with his workload.

Despite this, they did feel comfortable moving Crawford about as aggressively as a team can be with a pitcher who has such little pro experience. The Giants surprised many when they assigned him to Double-A to start this season. At that point, he had a total of 19 innings under his belt and never threw more than two innings in an appearance.

The Giants surprised many yet again when the 23-year-old pitcher earned promotion to Triple-A after collecting just 9.2 innings with the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He allowed just one earned run with 11 strikeouts and seven walks in 8.2 innings with Sacramento before landing on the injured list at the end of June.

At the time, Crawford was dealing with inflammation in his biceps tendon and expected to return to action soon according to Maria Guardado of MLB.Com. That did not come to fruition as he spent the remainder of the year on the injured list before undergoing shoulder surgery.

Before the injury, the Giants expected Crawford to get a shot with the club this season. He has an imposing mid-90's fastball with a sweeping slider. Both pitches grade out as above-average offerings.

With just 37.1 innings as a pro on his ledger, the Giants will have an important decision to make on the lefty pitcher next offseason. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft, so do the Giants protect him by adding him to the 40-man roster? That decision will come at a later date.