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The Giants’ nightmare homestand continued Friday with a 7-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, their sixth straight defeat and 14th loss in their last 15 games at Oracle Park. While the loss added to San Francisco’s misery, there was at least some positive news on the injury front for infielders Matt Chapman and Casey Schmitt.
Casey Schmitt has left the game after being hit by a pitch pic.twitter.com/3XvMRyUrCG
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 16, 2025
Chapman, the Gold Glove third baseman who has been fighting through pain since spraining his right hand in June, landed back on the injured list before the game with inflammation. He revealed afterward that he received two cortisone shots earlier in the day, hoping to finally get ahead of the soreness that’s lingered since his return in July.
“It’s something that kind of has to scar over,” Chapman explained, noting he sustained three tears in his hand earlier this summer. “There hasn’t been enough time for the scarring to happen, so I’ve been trying to just push through it, do what I can. I think just from constantly playing, the inflammation just kept going and I couldn’t get ahead of it. So, we’re just hoping this cortisone shot … can get me over the hump.”
Chapman admitted that swinging had become nearly impossible in recent days. His struggles at the plate reflected that reality — he’s batting .162 in August and just 3-for-35 with runners in scoring position since early June. Still, both Chapman and manager Bob Melvin expressed optimism that he might only need the minimum 10 days on the IL before returning.
The Giants keep losing, and the playoffs are almost out of reach
“He’s a pretty tough guy,” Melvin said. “During the course of the season, you’re gonna play through some stuff. Some days were probably worse than others. We got to the point where we needed to take a look at it.”
The situation became more concerning later in the night when Chapman’s replacement, Casey Schmitt, was drilled by a pitch in the eighth inning. He left the game with what initially looked like another blow to San Francisco’s depth, but postgame X-rays brought relief. Schmitt was diagnosed with a right forearm contusion, and Melvin expects him to miss only a few days.
“It’s probably going to be a couple of days for him,” Melvin said. “Obviously, it’s hard to lose him, but we have some guys that can fill in for now. Hopefully it’s not too long.”
The Giants will lean on Christian Koss and Tyler Fitzgerald to cover infield duties until both Chapman and Schmitt are back. For Schmitt, the timing was especially frustrating, as the 26-year-old has been one of the club’s more consistent bats of late, hitting .308 with extra-base power this month.
The injuries underscore just how fragile San Francisco’s season has become. Even on a night when the offense showed rare life early — plating six runs in the first three innings — the Giants squandered a golden chance to snap their skid, going 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position and leaving the bases loaded in the eighth.
Still, after weeks of mostly discouraging news, the updates on Chapman and Schmitt provided some hope. Chapman could return as soon as next weekend if the cortisone injections take hold, and Schmitt avoided what looked like a potentially serious setback. For a team desperate for any kind of break, those developments count as small victories — even as the losses continue to mount in the standings.
