SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Belt will undergo season-ending surgery on his right knee, the Giants announced on Friday. The procedure on his troublesome knee could spell the end of 34-year-old Belt’s MLB career.
Swelling and discomfort sidelined Belt for most of spring training and he’s had his knee drained multiple times, sending him to the injured list twice this year. The first baseman hasn’t played since last Saturday in Denver against the Rockies having gone 0-for-his-last-15 with two hits over his last 11 games.
Tuesday, Belt got a second opinion from from Dr. Timothy McAdams, who recommended surgery. He’s had two previous surgical operations on the same knee during his 12-year career with the Giants, once in 2015 to repair a torn meniscus and again in 2018 to clean up cartilage damage from the previous procedure.
McAdams saw the same “cartilage issue that we’ve been seeing (since) spring training,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said last week.
Knee swelling has limited Belt’s contributions to the Giants’ disappointing season. He has a career-low .676 OPS and hasn’t homered since the All-Star break. Belt is coming off a career-best .975 OPS, albeit, in 97 games in 2021. In 78 games this year, Belt is slashing 213/.326/.350.
Belt will be a free agent this offseason after accepting an $18.4 million qualifying offer last year. He told the San Francisco Chronicle he’d be “lying if I said I hadn’t thought about what happens if I’m not able to bounce back,” insinuating he’s unsure if he would be able to play.
