Giants’ Mark Melancon to have season-ending surgery

Giants reliever Mark Melancon will undergo right forearm surgery on Tuesday and will miss the rest of this season, according to Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News.

Melancon’s surgery will attempt to alleviate chronic compression in his pronator muscle and the recovery time is expected to be six weeks, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said in Baggarly’s report. Melancon had been on the disabled list twice because of this forearm and tried to pitch through it before experiencing more pain. Melancon and Bochy decided after Melancon’s last appearance against the Rockies on Tuesday — when he allowed two runs on three hits in ²⁄₃ of an inning — that it was better to get the surgery now than in the offseason.

The 32-year-old former All-Star closer went 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA and recorded 11 saves in 16 chances in his first year of a four-year, $62 million deal that he signed with the Giants in the offseason. At the time, the deal was a record for a reliever until Aroldis Chapman signed his five-year, $86 million deal with the Yankees 48 hours later.

Barring any setbacks in the offseason, Melancon will try to return to top form in 2018. Before he came to San Francisco this year, he recorded 98 saves with the Pirates and Nationals over the past two seasons.