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SF Giants: Brandon Crawford leaves game with left calf tightness

The SF Giants pulled veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford from Saturday's game against the San Diego Padres with left calf tightness.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants: Brandon Crawford leaves game with left calf tightness
SF Giants: Brandon Crawford leaves game with left calf tightness

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants removed veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford from Saturday's game against the San Diego Padres with left calf tightness, according to the team's broadcast crew on NBC Sports Bay Area. Crawford was replaced by utility man Brett Wisely (Giants #22 prospect) in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Crawford, the oldest everyday player on the Giants, has dealt with some nagging minor injuries. In fact, he was forced out of a game earlier this month with forearm tightness. Crawford has gotten off to one of the worst starts of his career this season. Entering the weekend, he was hitting just .159/.237/.304 with a double, three home runs, seven walks, and 22 strikeouts in 76 plate appearances. He's also had uncharacteristic struggles defensively, already committing four errors on the season.

Before Crawford left the game, he recorded the first regular-season MLB home run in Mexico, blasting a solo home run in the top of the third inning. Crawford actually hit a homer down the right-field line, but after a replay review determined the ball had crossed the fence inches right of the foul pole, he returned to the batter's box against Joe Musgrove and blasted the next pitch more than 450' to center field.

The SF Giants could call upon prospect Casey Schmitt (Giants #3 prospect) if Brandon Crawford is sidelined for an extended period of time, although the 2020 second-round pick is still adjusting to Triple-A. However, given Thairo Estrada's exceptional start to the season, manager Gabe Kapler would likely shift Estrada into an everyday role at shortstop with David Villar and Wisely platooning at second base. With that said, the team will obviously hope that Crawford has avoided serious injury and will be able to return to the field in the coming days.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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