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San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt suffered a broken thumb on Friday night after being hit by a pitch from Dodgers left-hander Paul Maholm, according to a team announcement. The incident, which occurred in the second inning of the Giants’ 3-1 win, resulted in a fractured thumb, as confirmed by x-rays taken after Belt was removed from the game.
Though it’s still uncertain how much time Belt will miss, manager Bruce Bochy predicted his team could be without Belt for "around six weeks," according to CSN Bay Area’s Andrew Baggarly. Belt is visiting a specialist in San Francisco on Saturday, so the details will become clearer by then.
The issue now becomes who will replace Belt at first base. Bochy named catchers Buster Posey and Hector Sanchez as options, as well as left fielder Michael Morse and minor league infielder Adam Duvall, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman.
Belt is hitting .264/.317/.504 on the season with 18 RBI, and his nine home runs are tied for fifth in the majors. The Giants are undoubtedly hoping this isn’t the start of an avalanche of injuries, which they suffered last year on their way to a 76-86 finish one year removed from a World Series title.