Giants third baseman Matt Chapman was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right hand sprain, dealing a devastating blow to San Francisco's starting lineup.
With the Gold Glove infielder on the mend, NBC Sports Bay Area spoke with Stanford Medicine's Amy Ladd, M.D., to get a better idea of what Chapman is dealing with.
"I was able to see some video footage, and it's interesting because he first fell on his left hand and then his right hand outstretched," said Ladd, who is an experienced specialist in hand and upper extremity surgery. "And it seemed like it was hyperextended ... but it may have also had some torque to the side.
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SIGN UP HERE "So a hand sprain or finger sprain, and he complained of multiple fingers being injured, without a broken bone means it could be 10 days and that could be it -- the swelling goes down and he gets his mobility back. Or, it could be a little bit longer and it wouldn't be because of instability, it would be because of stiffness and pain."
Chapman sustained the injury in the eighth inning of the Giants' win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at Oracle Park, as he dove head-first back to first base on a pick-off attempt.
Ladd's comments align with what Chapman told The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser and MLB.com's Maria I. Guardado before Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. Chapman told them he will miss more than 10 games with his hand injury after an MRI showed ligament sprains.
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The 10-game mark for Chapman would mean a return on June 21 against the Red Sox in Boston. But it sounds like he almost certainly will be out longer, but hopefully before the end of the first half on July 13 at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Based on her expertise, Ladd believes Chapman would have an easier time returning to the batter's box after an injury like the sprain to his throwing hand than returning to the field.
"This [injury] is equivalent to what we call jamming your finger, which can be super painful, not much to do about them," Ladd said. "So the main focus is mobility and pain. If it were his mitt hand, then he'd probably protect it. ...
"Throwing, it's more the fact of, can he get his hand around the ball with dexterity and focus? That it's not hurting, that he has enough grasp and enough mobility to hang on to it and execute the way he wants to throw it."
In 65 games played, Chapman leads the Giants in home runs (12) and walks (40) while serving as an indispensable defender on the hot corner. While San Francisco could use him back sooner than later, Chapman returning to full health is most important as the team fights for a spot in the MLB playoffs.