Chapman may not return, Eldridge eyeing

Matt Chapman’s injury update landed at a bleak moment for the San Francisco Giants. The San Jose Mercury News reported on August 4 that Chapman may not return this season, while Bryce Eldridge was eyeing a return the next day as the club tried to piece together its post-deadline roster. San Francisco entered Tuesday at 48-65 and 17 games under.500 after dealing six major-league players at the trade deadline, according to the Mercury News. MLB.com’s injury tracker said Chapman underwent a second MRI on August 3 that confirmed a lingering core muscle injury and that surgery remained a possibility. ### How serious is Matt Chapman’s injury? Matt Chapman has been on the injured list since July 1 with what the Giants listed as an abdominal strain. MLB.com said the third baseman’s second MRI on August 3 confirmed a lingering core muscle injury, and the club listed his expected return only as “possibly second half.” The Mercury News reported that Chapman will meet a specialist next week for a full evaluation and that there is a possibility he does not play again this season. (msn.com) MLB.com identified that specialist as Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia and said surgery is a possibility. (mlb.com) ### Why does Chapman’s absence matter so much right now? San Francisco was 48-65 entering Tuesday, according to the Mercury News, and the club had already traded away six major-league players at the deadline. That left the Giants trying to finish the season without one of their most established position players while also evaluating younger options. (msn.com) Bryce Eldridge had become one of the team’s most productive hitters before his own absence. MLB.com reported on July 23 that Eldridge, then 21, entered Tuesday’s action leading the Giants with a 140 OPS+ and had already forced his way into the club’s plans for August. ### Where does Bryce Eldridge fit into this update? (msn.com) Bryce Eldridge was “eyeing return on Wednesday,” the Mercury News reported in the same August 4 injury update that detailed Chapman’s setback. The timing mattered because Eldridge had already become a central part of San Francisco’s lineup in his age-21 season. (mlb.com) MLB.com wrote before the deadline that Eldridge was “almost guaranteed” to be in San Francisco’s lineup on August 3 because he had earned his spot, not simply because of roster churn. The same report said only Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays and Mel Ott had produced comparable OPS+ numbers for the Giants at age 21 or younger in the live-ball era. (msn.com) ### What does the rest of the roster picture look like? The Giants’ official site showed the club fell to 48-67 after a 6-0 loss at Texas on August 5. The same page listed upcoming home games against Detroit beginning August 7, with Houston scheduled to follow on August 10. MLB.com’s injury page also listed other unsettled cases around the roster, including Marcelo Mayer, who was due in San Francisco on August 5 for an evaluation, and Victor Bericoto, who was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment that same day. (mlb.com) Those updates underscored how much of the Giants’ late-season focus has shifted to health checks and player evaluation. (mlb.com) ### What happens next for Chapman and the Giants? Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia is the next key name in Chapman’s case, because MLB.com said Chapman is due there next week for a full evaluation. The Giants return home on August 7 to open a series against Detroit, according to the team schedule, with Eldridge’s availability and Chapman’s specialist visit now the clearest near-term markers to watch. (mlb.com)