SF Giants may need to protect Willy Adames from his own toughness

At some point, the SF Giants will have to protect Willy Adames from himself.

In the 7th inning of the SF Giants' latest loss at the hands of the Houston Astros, Adames failed to start what seemed like a routine double play, one that would have ended the inning. Instead, he made a weak throw to second baseman Osleivis Basabe that ruined their chances to walk off the field unscathed, as the Astros tied the game later that inning.

You didn't need to be a doctor of any kind to notice that something was wrong with Adames, who was seen twisting and stretching his back after the play. A member of the medical staff came out to check on him during a pitching change, but Adames still took his at-bat in the bottom of the inning — which resulted in a pop-up — before being replaced by Buddy Kennedy in the 8th. Despite his visible discomfort, manager Tony Vitello mentioned postgame that they had to "fight tooth and nail" to get him out of the game.

Adames, who's approaching the end of his ninth season in the big leagues, has "playing every day" at the top of the list of things he takes most pride in. He appeared in 160 games last season and 161 the year before. In every full season since 2019, he's played in at least 139 games.

He prides himself on playing through the pain and soreness a 162-game season brings. Leading by example is one of his core principles. So being out there every day — no matter if he's 100% or not — is important to him, even more given how young and inexperienced this clubhouse has become.

But a certain line shouldn't be crossed, for his own good and that of the organization. Seeing the 30-year-old shortstop struggle to make a routine toss to second base obviously raised questions about whether or not he had crossed that line. After this season, Adames will still be owed $140 million over five seasons.

Will Adames' injury with the SF Giants has lingered for some time now

This back issue has been lingering for a while now. He first experienced discomfort during a late-June series against the Athletics. A few days later in Atlanta, his back locked up during an at-bat, causing him to miss a three-game set against the Diamondbacks. An MRI revealed no disc damage, so Adames avoided a trip on the injured list. He mentioned in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that the pain had become so prominent that he couldn't even swing the bat properly anymore. That's when he admitted that if the injury affects his swing and movement, he shouldn't be out there. But a few days later, he was back in the lineup. The pain was manageable again, though he still couldn't take part in all of Ron Washington's daily infield drills, and he took unwarranted flak for it.

Apple TV announcer Wayne Randazzo stated on a broadcast a few weeks ago that Washington supposedly had a hard time getting Adames to commit to the work day in and day out. In other words: Adames — in the middle of his worst defensive season — was unwilling to put in the necessary work. Both Vitello and Adames responded to the accusations, with the first-year manager not mincing his words and calling it BS, while Adames felt insulted. He recently said that he understood the criticism about his defensive and offensive performances, but that he can't let anyone question his work ethic and effort, because that's the reason why he's gotten to where he is today.

As a result of those accusations, Vitello, in a postgame conversation with reporters, invited the media to attend one of Adames' pregame sessions. Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle did just that. According to Susan Slusser, they witnessed Adames gloving grounders from Washington and then working on his swing with assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard before eventually taking some swings in the batting cage. The session lasted approximately 45 minutes, which is considered routine for Adames.

The nagging pain hasn't helped, but it also can't fully explain Adames' struggles on both sides of the ball. In April, way before the injury first surfaced, Adames hit .176 with a .553 OPS. He bounced back in May by posting an .829 OPS over 28 games, but the struggles were back again in June. Then the first symptoms were there, and he hasn't been the same since. He's batted just .202 with a .679 OPS since the All-Star break. Defensively, his -14 Outs Above Average is the third-worst in MLB, and his 16 errors are the fourth-most in baseball. Adames hasn't posted a negative OAA mark since 2021. The injury doesn't excuse everything, and Adames is the first to say it. The couple of dazzling plays he made over the last couple of weeks — a leaping catch against the Rangers in Texas and a spinning, off-balance throw against the Astros earlier this week — are proof that he still has it in him.

Vitello said he doesn't expect an IL stint to be necessary, though he did mention that Adames will likely sit out Friday's series opener against the Colorado Rockies. Back in June, the feeling was the same. They figured a trip on the injured list wasn't required, and though Adames had been feeling better over the last couple of weeks, the issue eventually resurfaced.

Is it worth the risk of reaggravating his injury, knowing that a few days of rest weren't enough the last time? Probably not, especially given that the Giants are now 21 games under .500. Were the team to be in the hunt for a playoff spot, the discussions would be different. But that's not the case. Christian Koss can fill in at shortstop. Marcelo Mayer is on his way back and can play the position as well.

A season-ending shutdown isn't mandatory, but the medical side of the injury needs to prevail over Adames' desire to play every day. If they feel like a stint on the IL could knock the injury out for good, then why not do it?

Even leaders need to acknowledge their own limitations and show the youth when to be stubborn about wanting to play and when to be practical. It's time for Adames to be practical.

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