Giancarlo Stanton's timing could not have been more unfortunate. A day before he had planned to participate in the much-hyped annual MLB Home Run Derby, Stanton underwent arthroscopic on his right knee Sunday.
"He might be out for a month or six weeks, that's what I think," manager Ozzie Guillen said after a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Saturday. "Hopefully less. We're better off that way because that kid couldn't do anything."
Stanton had to be removed in the third inning of Saturday's game, his first start in five games for Miami. General manager Mike Hill said the surgery was to remove a loose body in the knee, a routine procedure.
"It was just discomfort," Hill said. "And we knew that once we had tried it, that if it flared up again surgery was the logical option."
Stanton was also supposed to appear in his first All-Star Game on Tuesday, but that was also put on hold. Stanton flew to South Florida on Saturday to have the procedure done the next day. Stanton tweeted Saturday, "Talk about being bummed! Thank u all for your kind words & wishes. I'll be Back in a flash!"
Hill reiterated on Saturday that Stanton's procedure is not expected to keep him out of the lineup for too long. "It's a common surgery, a lot of people have done it and come back quickly," Hill said. "We're hopeful that will happen with Giancarlo."
Meanwhile, the Marlins will be without an All-Star representative on Tuesday. Rookie Washington outfielder Bryce Harper was named as Stanton's replacement on Saturday. Marlins president David Samson voiced his displeasure with the Marlins' absence from the All-Star Game on Sunday.
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"There were a lot of different ways that Tony or MLB could have gone," Samson told the Palm Beach Post. "I think it’s unfortunate. I think that every team should be presented on the line at the All-Star Game.
Stanton will not travel to Kansas City for the All-Star festivities. Samson suggested Marlins Greg Dobbs and Steve Cishek could have been added to the team in lieu of Harper, a notion which can be described as charitable at best.
The Marlins' disappointing first half (they finished the first half 41-44 with a run differential of -56) does not exactly imply that anyone on the team besides Stanton deserved to be an All-Star. Even though the Marlins could in theory earn home field advantage in the World Series (though right now is not the best time to discuss their playoff chances), No Marlin will be able to actively make that happen on Tuesday night.
