The San Francisco Giants could be without starting shortstop Willy Adames for the remainder of the 2026 season after he suffered an elbow injury against the Boston Red Sox.
Adames, 30, felt pain in his left elbow after sliding into home plate during Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He was diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his non-throwing arm.
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After receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his sprained left elbow Thursday, it was recommended that Adames allow his arm to rest for three to four weeks, according to MLB.com.
The Giants’ final game is Sept. 27 at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Giants manager Tony Vitello understands the nature of Adames’ injury could mean he’s done for the year.
“If you’re going to abide by that timeline, you just look at the calendar and see where that puts you,” Vitello said. “He could press to come back the last week of the year, maybe, at best. I don’t know how reasonable or realistic that is, but it’s also somewhat pointless to talk about at this point because we’ll have to see how that rest serves him.”
With 28 games remaining in the season, the Adames injury allows the Giants to look at potential talent and further evaluate prospects.
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Adames is in the second year of a seven-year, $182 million contract with San Francisco. He was owed $13.1 million this season. Starting next season, the Giants will have to shell out $31.1 million to Adames through 2031.
Opportunity for Giants prospects
Following the trade deadline, where San Francisco began to unload veterans and contracts, president of baseball operations Buster Posey said the Giants would use the remainder of the season to assess the team.
“We’re going to get some looks at some younger players, and I think as much as anything, it’s going to be an opportunity for us as a front office and a coaching staff to evaluate some of our players, and some of them are going to get some longer runways than they’ve had in the past,” Posey said in a radio interview on 97.5 FM earlier this month.
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There’s no postseason hopes in this disappointing season. But there’s still much to play for. Posey is looking at what’s in their control now and the Giants are looking “to build on what we do here these last couple months and into the future.”
That assessment could include whether a player can upend Adames’ role.
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With Adames’ injury, the Giants will have to try and mix their group of infielders around to fill the position. San Francisco doesn’t have another true shortstop.
The responsibility will likely fall to Osleivis Basabe, Christian Koss and Shay Whitcomb. Koss will likely get the first look, as he’s lined up at shortstop the most between the three. Koss has appeared at shortstop in 13 games, Whitcomb twice and Basabe just once.
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Could Willy Adames become DH?
Offensively, Adames could probably be the designated hitter if needed. But, with his down year, the Giants would be better off allowing him to recover and exploring other DH options.
“There’s other guys that need to do that too and get some at-bats,” Vitello said when asked if Adames could play DH.
Adames is hitting .230/.289/.424 with 21 home runs and a .713 OPS in 121 games.
Currently, the Giants have Bryce Eldridge in the mix, listed as the team’s designated-hitter. Vitello and the Giants want to see him and other prospects continue to hit.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Willy Adames injury update: Giants shortstop expected to miss 3-4 weeks
