SF Giants power-hitting slugger expected to miss 8 weeks after undergoing surgery

The SF Giants knew they would be without power-hitting bat Jerar Encarnación after he suffered a fracture in his left hand. He underwent surgery on Friday, and the Giants are expecting him to miss about eight weeks according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

SF Giants power-hitting slugger expected to miss 8 weeks after undergoing surgery

Encarnación will have his hand in a splint for two weeks, and then he will begin the rehabilitation process. The recovery timeline means that he likely will not return until the beginning of June at the earliest.

For now, Encarnación is on the 10-day injured list. However, if the Giants need to open up space on the 40-man roster, they can do so by transferring him to the 60-day injured list. The date can be retroactive to the first game of the season, so he would not miss additional time by moving to a different injured list.

The Giants had high hopes for Encarnación to start the year. He could still realize those expectations once he returns. The right-handed bat was competing with Wilmer Flores for playing time at DH this spring.

Encarnación put together really solid numbers in the Cactus League, recording 16 hits, including seven doubles and two home runs, with 14 RBI in 55 plate appearances. There was a good chance that he would see the bulk of the time at DH with Flores filling in at first base and coming off the bench.

However, the Giants want there to be a few different ways for Encarnación to make it into the lineup. That means playing in the field at first base and in the corners.

The Giants signed the 27-year-old hitter out of the Mexican League midway through last season. He torched Triple-A pitching last year, slashing .352/.438/.616 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI in 146 plate appearances before earning a promotion to the major league roster.

Encarnación flashed impressive bat speed and put up respectable numbers at the plate. He posted a .702 OPS with five home runs and 19 RBI in 119 plate appearances with San Francisco down the stretch.

Wilmer Flores will see the bulk of the playing time at DH while Encarnación is on the shelf. The Giants could mix in some younger players as well. Casey Schmitt saw a start there on Saturday.