Harrison Bader’s scooter crash has left the San Francisco Giants waiting on a cleaner read of his left foot and, days later, still without a public update on how badly he was hurt. The 32-year-old sustained additional injuries in the crash around 1:50 a.m. Sunday near Balboa Cafe at Greenwich and Fillmore streets in San Francisco.
The timing matters because Bader was already on the injured list with a left foot problem before the crash, and the new injury changed what the Giants thought they were evaluating. He had not played since May 29, and before the accident he was already due to see a foot and ankle specialist in Indianapolis on Monday.
The team’s concern is rooted in both the medical and roster sides of the story. Bader signed a two-year, $20.5 million contract in January, but he has played only 30 games and hit.170 while battling a strained oblique and the left foot ailment the club described as plantar fasciitis. The scooter crash added another layer to a season already defined by missed time.
What happened on the street has not been fully pinned down by the club, even though some details have surfaced elsewhere. A witness told SFist that Bader’s scooter collided with the back of a San Francisco Fire Department fire engine, and SFist reported that the wheel of the truck rolled over his foot and caused major injury. The San Francisco Police Department said a scooter was involved, and when officers arrived they saw the rider receiving medical assistance before that person was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. There were no other reported injuries.
That is where the friction starts. More than four days after the crash, the Giants had still not provided additional details about the incident or a public update on Bader’s condition. A person briefed on the matter said he had not fully cooperated with the team’s investigation, and he had also declined to give public comments despite being encouraged by the club to talk to reporters or make a statement.
Bader did travel as planned to Indianapolis on Sunday and was examined there on Monday. On Tuesday, the Giants said the impact of that collision-related injury changed the nature of his evaluation and that he would be examined by Giants orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki and undergo an MRI to better understand the severity of the injuries sustained from the scooter accident. More than 48 hours later, the club still had not released MRI results, leaving the next medical step as the only solid marker in a story that has otherwise been short on answers.
