Giants third baseman Evan Longoria had to undergo surgery on his right index finger and will miss six weeks of action, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters Wednesday morning in spring training (via Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com).
Longoria had yet to see action in spring training games and it was due to the injury, which had actually been lingering since last season, he told Giants reporter Susan Slusser last week:
Longoria, 36, played exactly half the season in 2021, appearing in 81 games. He hit .261/.351/.482 (124 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 13 homers, 46 RBI, 45 runs and 1.8 WAR. He was expected to hit somewhere around the middle of order (fifth?) on a regular basis.
Instead, the Giants will need to fill his role for at least six weeks.
Wilmer Flores started 51 games at third base last season in Longoria's absence and it appears he'll be the opening day starter this time around. Flores hit .262/.335/.447 (111 OPS+) last season in his 436 plate appearances for the Giants.
Other options at third with Longoria out would be Tommy La Stella, Thairo Estrada, Mauricio Dubón -- all of whom can also play second -- or Jason Vosler.
Essentially, the Giants are going to draw from their depth to replace any production lost from Longoria's absence. They did so beautifully last season en route to 107 regular-season wins, the most in baseball and a franchise record. Of course, franchise legend Buster Posey retired and midseason trade acquisition Kris Bryant -- who could have been an obvious third base fill-in for Longoria -- signed with the Rockies in free agency. With those departures and Longoria's injury, the Giants will face a bit of early-season adversity with their lineups.
