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MLB notebook: Giants LHP Bumgarner fractures pitching hand

[March 24, 2018] San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner sustained a fractured pitching hand Friday when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Kansas City's Whit Merrifield, who was leading off the third inning.

The injury will sideline Bumgarner for six to eight weeks, according to ESPN. The left-hander will have surgery Saturday to insert pins in his fractured pinky knuckle, and it will be four to six weeks before the pins are removed, according to The Athletic.

Bumgarner was quickly removed from Friday's game after being struck. He allowed two runs on three hits and punched out three in the outing, which was expected to be his final tune-up of the spring. Right-hander Ryan Halstead came in to replace him.

Bumgarner has been enjoying a strong spring after sustaining the first major injury of his career last season when he injured his shoulder in a dirt bike accident. The incident sent Bumgarner to the disabled list for the first time in his nine-year major league career and kept him off the field for nearly three months.

--Major League Baseball decided not to punish Minnesota Twins slugger Miguel Sano after investigating an assault allegation stemming from a 2015 incident, the commissioner's office announced.

Sano was accused nearly three months ago by photographer Betsy Bissen of trying to kiss her and forcibly pull her into a bathroom after an autograph appearance at a Minneapolis-area shopping outlet on Oct. 3, 2015.

Sano denied the allegations at the time. MLB investigated Bissen's claims and determined no discipline was warranted.

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--Boston Red Sox right-hander Steven Wright has accepted a 15-game suspension handed down from MLB for violating the league's domestic violence policy.

On Dec. 8, Wright was arrested at his home near Nashville, Tenn., and charged with domestic assault and preventing a 911 call after an altercation with his wife, which are each misdemeanors in the state. He was released on a $2,500 bond.

Two weeks later, Wright had the charges against him retired in Williamson County court. A retirement of charges is the first step toward dismissal assuming no other offenses occur in the next 12 months.

--New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was at the top of the order against the Boston Red Sox and lefty Brian Johnson, the realization of an idea new manager Aaron Boone had floated earlier this spring. The star outfielder went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in the game.

Brett Gardner was the team's primary leadoff option last season, though his splits (.283 batting average against right-handers, .209 against southpaws) suggest he should be hitting lower when a lefty takes the mound.

Judge, who says he's never hit leadoff aside from maybe "in a high school game once," didn't expect it to be much difference, especially with Gardner batting ninth.

--Field Level Media

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