2 min read • March 31, 2022
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Giants’ lifer Brandon Belt guaranteed he will play at least one more season in San Francisco, signing a one-year, $18.4 million contract with the Giants for the 2022 campaign.
Belt, who has undergone a career resurgence in his early 30s, has also dealt with a laundry list of injuries up and down his 33-year-old body, a sign that father time may be catching up with the two-time World Series winner.
He has yet to play in Spring Training, as the Giants take the cautious approach with his troublesome right knee.
Belt underwent microfracture surgery and a meniscus repair on the right knee in September 2018, but dealt with recurring inflammation last season and heading into camp this year.
He also suffered a fractured left thumb last September, an injury that kept him out of the Giants’ NLDS bout with the Dodgers.
That was the most recent of a run of injuries and surgeries, including: October 2020 surgery to remove a bone spur in his right heel, a stint on the IL with a left oblique strain, and a history of concussions stretching from his college years to summer 2017.
Belt’s fractured thumb and surgery should not be an issue going forward, but Belt’s right knee injuries and history of concussions are a cause for concern, lowering his SIC score heading into the 2022 season to a 68.
The repeated inflammation in the knee shows signs of osteoarthritis, or wear-and-tear arthritis, which can require consistent absences as he enters the later stages of his career.
His history of concussions, while not as immediately worrisome, have had more serious consequences in Belt’s career.
After his fourth and most recent concussion in August 2017 – which kept him out of the final two months of the season – Belt said that he dealt with a myriad of symptoms, including depression, which he had not experienced prior to the head injury.
Both the knee and head ailments run the risk of shortening or limiting his career on a moment's notice.
The Giants are already without third baseman Evan Longoria for an early stretch of the season after he underwent finger surgery. Backup first baseman Lamont Wade Jr. will also miss opening day as he deals with inflammation and a bone bruise in his left knee.
San Francisco can ill afford more injuries to its infield and will surely hope Belt can match his 2021 output while playing in at least 120 games, something he has failed to do since 2019.
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