Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images(MIAMI) — Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton suffered a broken bone in his wrist on Friday night, an injury that could cost him at least a month, and hinder his team’s chances at climbing back into a playoff race.
Stanton initially injured the wrist on a swing and miss in the 6th inning Friday night. ESPN reports that he stayed in the game, but said the area got swollen and it hurt to hold a bat. The Marlins confirmed the injury on their Twitter account on Saturday.
Stanton, who had already hit 27 home runs this season and driven in 65 runs — both figures lead the National League –was a key to the Miami lineup.
The Marlins entered the year with high expectations after they made a number of big acquisitions in the offseason, including second baseman Dee Gordon, and also managed to lock Stanton up with a $300 million dollar contract.
Now, at 33-39 and without the biggest bat in the middle of their lineup, the Marlins playoff chances seem to be shrinking.
ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian said Saturday that the injury “certainly” takes the Marlins out of a playoff race.
Perhaps just as significant, Kurkjian notes that the injury is a tough blow for baseball as a whole. The league has benefited in recent years from an influx of supremely talented young players, including Stanton, the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout and the Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper.
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