Stanton has surgery on hand
MIAMI — Amid concern about how long the absence of Giancarlo Stanton may drag on, one teammate believes the slugger’s return could be on the short end of estimates.
Stanton underwent surgery Sunday morning for a broken hamate bone in his left hand. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.
“I keep seeing six weeks out there. I don’t think it’s going to be six weeks,” said Jeff Baker, who had the hamate in his left hand removed during surgery on his wrist several years ago.
“If you’re going to break a bone in your hand, the hamate is the one you want to break. I’ve seen guys come back in three weeks and play.”
Fractures of the hamate, a hook-like bone at the base of the hand, are common with hitters. Although some players have taken more than six weeks to recover from the surgery, others have come back quicker.
Baker pointed out that it’s not a matter of waiting for a bone to heal, as the hamate is removed during surgery.
“You just let the incision heal and basically get the swelling out of there,” Baker said. “Really all you’re doing is taking out a piece in your hand. It’s not like it’s a ligament or a tendon. I don’t know if [Stanton] had any damage with that, but if it’s not a ligament or a tendon, all it literally is, is you get the stiches out and you just heal.”
Stanton’s surgery was performed by Dr. Patrick Owens, a hand specialist, at the University of Miami Hospital.
“Everybody’s body is different. But G, he wants to play. The pain threshold is the biggest thing, but as soon as he’s able to play he’s going to play,” Baker said.
Baker’s experience was different than Stanton’s will be as he was having surgery to repair damage to his wrist. The hamate was removed to avoid the possibility of having a problem with it in the future.
Next stop Miami
Jose Fernandez’s final tuneup in the minors before returning to the Marlins on Thursday against the Giants didn’t go as smoothly as others on his rehab.
Pitching for the first time in Double-A, the righthander gave up four earned runs in five innings to the Biloxi Shuckers and took the loss Saturday at Jacksonville. Fernandez was nicked for six hits, including a home run, while walking two and striking out eight. He threw 90 pitches, 58 for strikes.
“He went down to finalize his rehab, to make sure he felt comfortable with his extension, with his release,” Marlins manager Dan Jennings said. “It wasn’t about the results, it was about getting in the work.
“He’s built up to a certain number of pitches. We’ll monitor that and we’re going to stay on the plan and the program that’s been laid out.
“It’s an exciting time to have him back in the rotation.”
Beckett’s day
Josh Beckett threw his first pitch in a Marlins uniform since 2005 on Sunday. It was ceremonial, as the 2003 World Series MVP was honored before the series finale between the first and last teams he played for during a 14-year career.
Beckett, who won another World Series with the Red Sox in 2007 and pitched a no-hitter in his final season with the Dodgers in 2014, indicated that his fondest memories were of the Marlins’ magical 2003 season. But it had to do with more than winning.
“I remember grabbing beers out of the clubhouse on the road and going back to the hotel, and nine or 10 of us in the hotel room and all we did was sit there and talk about baseball. It was a neat feeling,” Beckett said. “That was a really different group of guys. I don’t think baseball is the same as it used to be, that aspect of having true buddies on a team.
“It seems like baseball players in general kind of get away from that. I don’t know if it was the veteran guys back then that showed us that.”
Members of the 2003 team joining in the celebration of Josh Beckett Appreciation Day were Mike Lowell, Alex Gonzalez, Pudge Rodriguez and manager Jack McKeon. Rodriguez caught the ceremonial pitch as he did every pitch of Beckett’s memorable Series clinching victory in Game 6 in New York.
McKeon drew widespread criticism for starting Beckett on three days’ rest, but the right-hander, then 23, responded with a complete-game shutout in what would be the final World Series game at old Yankee Stadium.
“I just had so much confidence in the guy,” McKeon said Sunday. “He was a competitor, a real fighter. He loved the big stage, the challenges, the big games.”
McKeon said he could tell in the first inning that he had made the right decision.
“I said, ‘They ain’t going to touch him tonight.’ That ’s how sharp he looked,” McKeon recalled.