The injury bug has taken one unpredictable bite out of the Giants' 2017 season. Recently, they have been hit hard by concussions, both in the big leagues and with their top draft pick.
San Francisco is currently without the right side of its infield in Brandon Belt and Joe Panik as they sit on the 7-day concussion DL. Heliot Ramos, who the Giants took No. 19 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, is the latest to take a hit to the head.
Ramos, 17, was hit by a pitch Sunday night in the Arizona Rookie League.
Giants GM Bobby Evans was asked in an interview with The Athletic Wednesday how the recent uptick in concussions have changed how the team handles the injury.
I think the concern continues around the game and around all of sports. We are very much aware of the risks associated with not allowing a player to fully recover from one.
We want to make sure in every form that we get guys healthy and that they aren't playing again until they are ready to go. That takes patience on our part, but I applaud the work of baseball to protect the player and obviously appreciate the diligence of what our medical staff does to continue to monitor even the smallest sign of a concussion.
Belt has now sustained four concussions in his career between college and pro ball. His return to the team this season is still up in the air. Panik, who was also concussed last season after getting hit in the head by now-teammate Matt Moore, played in his first rehab game Tuesday night with the Sacramento River Cats.
Along with Ramos, who was hitting .348 with six home runs at the time of his injury, top picks Jacob Gonzalez and Aaron Bond have impressed Evans with their play in the Rookie League.
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It's tough to come into a league like that and hit for average and contribute the way that they have. They've put themselves in a very good position to start their careers. We are proud of them and are hopeful that we can continue to see more from them as they progress through the system.
Their regular season will end here shortly and then they will go into at some point an Instructional League and then move on to an offseason before they come in next spring. I think they've got to be very proud of what they have accomplished this season.
