"On a swing, my bat dug into my hand a little bit. It didn't feel the greatest. So just get it checked out and then know for sure what is going on. It's just pain where I grip the bat, I think it just kind of got worse and worse." - Giancarlo Stanton (via MLB.com)
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Miami Marlins and Giancarlo Stanton received bad news following an X-ray on the slugger's hand. ESPN elaborated that the exam revealed a broken hamate bone in his left hand. After immediate surgery, he will be out four to six weeks.
Stanton hurt his left hand Friday night on what appeared to be a nominal swing. He stayed in the game, but the pain worsened through his final at bat in the ninth inning.
Stanton is the premier slugger in the game, having won the National League home run crown in 2014 (despite missing the final three weeks with facial fractures). In 2015, he is leading all of Major League Baseball with 27 home runs and 67 RBI. The 27 home runs to date would be on pace for a historic 55-60 on the season if he were to stay healthy.
The Marlins are a disappointing 30-45 and over 11 games out of first place. The team is poised to get its ace pitcher Jose Fernandez back from the Tommy John surgery in about a week. However, this new injury to Stanton makes the probability of a second-half run seem far-fetched at best. With Stanton likely out until after the trade deadline, it would make sense to move some players to rebuild for the future. Potential trade chips include Ichiro Suzuki, Martin Prado, or Michael Morse, although the latter two are both on the disabled list at this time.
Stanton signed a historic 13-year, $325M deal to lock him up for the Marlins through the 2028 season if the team exercises its option. The deal is back-loaded to allow the Marlins to bring in free agents in the near-term to win now. Winning now becomes difficult without their franchise player.