Giants’ Bumgarner to be out until after All-Star break

Giants ace Madison Bumgarner will be out until after the All-Star break after suffering a Grade 2 sprain in his left shoulder, according to Chris Haft of MLB.com.

Bumgarner suffered that injury plus bruised ribs in a dirt-bike accident during the team’s off day in Colorado on April 20, which will put him on the list of weird injuries that have happened to baseball players. A Grade 2 sprain means Bumgarner partially tore ligaments and he will be rehabilitating for at least three months before stepping on the mound for the Giants. The initial timeline for him to be sidelined was six to eight weeks, but several secondary opinions, including one from Dr. James Andrews, made it clear that the injury was more severe.

The 27-year-old Bumgarner went 0-3 in four starts this year, but had a 3.00 ERA and 28 strikeouts while yielding only four walks in 27 innings. The three-time World Series champaion and four-time All-Star, who set career bests in ERA (2.74), innings pitched (226 2/3), strikeouts (251) and starts (34) last year, began his rehab Friday before the Giants’ 4-3 win over the Padres at home.

Without their former World Series MVP on the hill, the Giants are surely going to need a lot of help in their rotation. Right now, only former ace and No. 4 starter Matt Cain has been throwing well, as he owns a 2.42 ERA and only given up 17 hits this season, while Johnny Cueto, Matt Moore and Jeff Samardzija have all allowed 16 or more earned runs and 28 or more hits in their campaigns. Their pitching struggles, along with their injuries in the outfield, have put them at 9-15 and fourth in the NL West. However, the Giants are usually a second-half team, so they will have to find a way to stay in the mix in the division until Bumgarner returns.