SFGATE: Thumb surgery could keep Giants second baseman Joe Panik out 8 weeks
Thumb surgery could keep Giants second baseman Joe Panik out 8 weeks" Published on April 30, 2018 at 08:10AM by By Henry Schulman Joe Panik will fly to Los Angeles to see a hand specialist for a second opinion on his sprained left thumb ligament. “There’s a good chance he’s headed toward surgery,” manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday. The injury occurred Friday night when Panik’s glove met Yasiel Puig’s left leg on a pickoff play at second base. Typical recovery time for this surgery is six to eight weeks. Panik’s injury forces Bochy to rethink two important spots, second base on a defense-oriented team and the top of the lineup. He envisions a near-platoon with Kelby Tomlinson against left-handers and Alen Hanson against righties.
