The San Francisco Giants received some unfortunate injury news before the 2022 MLB regular season even started. It was announced on Monday that veteran third baseman Evan Longoria would require surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right index finger. A timetable for his potential return was unclear at the time. However, Giants manager Gabe Kapler spoke to reporters on Wednesday and revealed how long the veteran third baseman is expected to be sidelined for, as reported by Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com.
Gabe Kapler said the expectation is Evan Longoria will miss six weeks after undergoing right index finger surgery.
— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) March 30, 2022
Per Guardado, Longoria is expected to miss six weeks with the finger injury. The Giants veteran can be expected to return to the field sometime around mid-May.
Longoria has swung the bat well for the Giants but has had bad injury luck recently, as he missed two months of action last season with a shoulder injury. The former Tampa Bay Rays third baseman slashed .261/.351/.482 with 13 homers, 46 RBI and 45 runs scored in 81 games played.
Per Statcast, Longoria's quality of contact numbers placed him among the top-seven third baseman in baseball last year, suggesting that there could be some strong production in store once he returns to good health for the Giants.
The Giants are expected to turn to utilityman Wilmer Flores at third base. Flores has hit .264 with 30 homers and 85 RBI in 194 games with San Francisco across two seasons.
The Giants' lineup certainly lost a bit of muscle after Longoria's absence, though the club's strength in the pitching rotation and on defense suggests they'll be fine until he returns.
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