Giants Beat Brewers 3-0, but Schmitt's Torn Meniscus and Bader's Scooter Mishap Deepen Injury Woes

The San Francisco Giants beat the first-place Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 on Monday in one of their better performances of the season, yet the night left them with yet another significant loss. Third baseman Casey Schmitt tore his meniscus while rounding first base in the second inning.

Starter Tyler Mahle threw six scoreless innings, outfielder Grant McCray hit an opposite-field two-run home run, and the bullpen did not allow a baserunner. Schmitt's injury, though, may keep him out until the end of a season that has gone badly for the club. There is little reason for him to hurry back.

Schmitt had been enjoying the best year of his career, hitting .271 with a .784 OPS and 21 home runs when his knee gave out. The Giants' most versatile defender has played across the diamond this season but settled in at third base in July, with Matt Chapman sidelined for four weeks by an abdominal strain. Chapman is due back on the upcoming road trip. With no healthy replacement on the 40-man roster, San Francisco selected the contract of Osleivis Basabe from Triple-A Sacramento. The 25-year-old played 31 games for the Rays in 2023 but has not appeared in the majors since, and he is not seen as a likely long-term piece.

Center fielder Harrison Bader, who has been out for two months with left plantar fasciitis, was involved in a scooter accident that further damaged the same foot. The team said it happened "Saturday night/early Sunday morning," and Bader will need an MRI to determine how severe the damage is. He signed a two-year, $20.5 million contract with the Giants last offseason. The team also said right-hander Trevor McDonald will undergo UCL reconstruction surgery next week, an elbow injury that could cost him all of 2027.

The Giants are 16 games under .500 and were already on course to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season and the ninth time in 10 years. Without Schmitt, avoiding their first 90-loss season since 2017 becomes harder. The record should push Buster Posey, the president of baseball operations, to trade veterans for prospects for a second consecutive summer.

Mahle, left-hander Robbie Ray and second baseman Luis Arráez are likely to join contenders before next Monday's trade deadline. Mahle and Ray will be free agents this offseason, and moving them would further thin a rotation already missing McDonald. If Arráez is traded and Schmitt cannot return, the Giants would lose two of the four players with an OPS above .775; the others are Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge.

The bullpen, the team's biggest weakness, could also lose its best arms. Erik Miller may stay because he is under club control through 2030, but the Giants are not in a position to turn down offers for JT Brubaker (2.74 ERA) or Sam Hentges (2.53 ERA).

Posey's biggest decision may involve outfielder Heliot Ramos, who is also controlled through 2030 and could be in demand as a young outfielder with power. Ramos was expected to play alongside Bader, but both have missed extended time with injuries. Acquiring a young starting pitcher for Ramos could help Posey begin rebuilding the rotation.

With Arráez likely to leave and Chapman returning, Schmitt had been a candidate to finish the year as the everyday second baseman. The team could now turn to Basabe, utility infielder Christian Koss, or prospect Nate Furman, who hit a walk-off grand slam for Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday and has been one of the River Cats' most consistent hitters.