Reliever Núñez to have Tommy John surgery
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Dedniel Núñez, the Giants’ promising Rule 5 reliever, will miss at least this season after Tommy John surgery.
Manager Gabe Kapler said Friday that Núñez, 24, has decided to have elbowligamenttransplant surgery after being diagnosed with a strained ulnar collateral ligament. The team placed Núñez on the 60day injured list Thursday; he had allowed four hits, three walks and four runs in 31⁄3 innings this spring.
Kapler called it “a significant loss.”
“I feel a ton of empathy for
him,” Kapler said. “It’s disappointing. He’s thrown the ball so well . ... We really started to see him as a key piece of our bullpen this year.”
To retain Núñez, the Giants will have to keep him on the IL all year and hope he can return next season and spend 90 days on the active roster. Or, they would have to place him on waivers, and if he were to clear, he would have to be offered back to the Mets.
Núñez appeared as if he would be one of the few set options in the bullpen, but now there are even more question marks. Nonroster reliever Silvino Bracho, 28, is one of the additions who has impressed this spring. He has 11 strikeouts and one walk in 61⁄3 innings.
Bracho, who had Tommy John surgery two years ago while with the Diamondbacks, said he had spoken to Núñez after he got the diagnosis and, he said, “I feel so sad for the news. Núñez is a great guy, and I’ve been in that position before.”
Kapler said he likes the competition in the bullpen and believes the unit is starting to take shape.
Kapler had several other injury updates as well:
⏩ Pitcher Alex Wood played catch Friday after a spinal-ablation procedure this week and he remains a possibility for the openingweek roster. “I wouldn’t rule anything out,” Kapler said, emphasizing that some of it will depend on how Wood feels after his throwing session.
⏩ Catcher Buster Posey is still on track to play Sunday after missing a few games with hip tightness. “We do want to see him do some baseball work (Friday), monitor that and see where we are,” Kapler said.
⏩ Brandon Belt, who had the coronavirus followed by mono, is running the bases Monday and might be in a game by the end of next week.
⏩ Evan Longoria might be playing third by the middle of next week after being limited to designatedhitter duties because of plantar fasciitis.
⏩ Outfielder Hunter Bishop has had ankle soreness.