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Is Buster Posey OK? SF Giants catcher walks off after painful catch, to miss next game

During the ninth inning, the Giants confirmed Posey was diagnosed with a left thumb contusion

San Francisco Giants fans were left concerned after catcher Buster Posey walked off the field on July 4. Posey grimaced while making a catch against the Arizona Diamondbacks and walked off shortly after, much to many people's horror. He will miss the next game against the St Louis Cardinals, but it doesn't appear to be a serious injury. According to manager Gabe Kapler, "it's good news".

Shocking injuries and accidents have rocked baseball over the last month. On June 28, the heatwave in New York led Los Angeles Angels pitcher Dylan Bundy to throw up during the game. He was eventually taken off after being diagnosed with heat exhaustion. Earlier last month, Tyler Zombro of the Durham Bulls was hit on the head by a sharp line drive, leading to him being hospitalized. 

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The injuries come at a tough time for the baseball community, with several players like Trevor Bauer being involved in legal trouble. Bauer has currently been placed on administrative leave, adding to the long list of players who will be missing games in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, it looks like Posey will join that list, but not for long. Judging by Kapler's statement, he should be back in action very soon.

Is Buster Posey OK?

It appears Posey injured his thumb during the sixth inning after being struck by a foul tip from pinch-hitter Daulton Varsho. He caught a ball pitched by Anthony DeSclafani and immediately threw off his glove and grimaced in pain. Posey then received medical attention from trainer Dave Groeschner and Kapler and even took a few warmup pitches to see if he was fine. Posey then returned to the field. However, after catching the next pitch, he got up and walked off and was replaced by Backup catcher Curt Casali. 

During the ninth inning, the Giants confirmed Posey was diagnosed with a left thumb contusion, with X-Rays being negative for a fracture. "He doesn't react with that much emotion very often, so obviously we take that very seriously," Kapler said at the post-match conference. "We thought it was best to get him out of there and get him checked out. Obviously, it is good news on the x-rays," he added. Kapler said the team would "try and get him ready" for the match against the Cardinals, but his participation seems very unlikely. NBC reporter Alex Pavlovic tweeted, "Gabe Kapler said Buster Posey won't start tomorrow but it's possible he's available off the bench. The best possible news given how bad that looked."

So far, Posey has not been placed on the injured list, but if he is, the Giants will have the option to recall top prospect Joey Bart or Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Sacramento. Further details on the severity of the injury were not available, but judging by Kapler's words, Posey could be back in action as soon as July 7, when the Giants will play the Cardinals again. 

'Buster Posey take my thumb'

Fans flocked to Twitter to share their reactions after Posey walked off. One Giants fan tweeted, "buster posey take my thumb i dont need it." Another joked, "at this point giants twitter is just all of us offering body parts to the team." One person tweeted, "Not buster posey getting injured the first game i turn on."

"Tbh, if I don’t see Buster Posey in that All Star jersey on the 13th—I’ll legit cry PLS LET IT BE NOTHING SERIOUS," one user said. Another tweeted, "The audacity of the Diamondbacks to injure Buster Posey on America's birthday."

Despite Posey's absence, the Giants managed to win the game 5-2 and clinch the series at Chase Field. Prior to his exit, Posey played a pivotal part in that victory, with an RBI single off left-hander Caleb Smith in the first inning and drawing a walk in his final plate appearance in the sixth. Hopefully, he'll be back soon.