The San Francisco Giants’ outfield took another hit this week, and this one ends Harrison Bader’s season.
Manager Tony Vitello said Bader will miss the rest of the 2026 campaign after a scooter accident complicated an already nagging foot issue. Bader had been sidelined since May 29 with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and he was supposed to meet with a foot specialist in Indianapolis earlier this week to get a better read on the injury. Instead, the scooter crash changed the course of that evaluation and led doctors to do more testing.
The Giants first revealed on Tuesday that Bader had been involved in a scooter accident late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The club said the incident worsened his foot problem and altered the medical plan, with an MRI later scheduled to check the damage.
More details surfaced after that. Per Yahoo Sports, statements from the San Francisco Fire Department and the San Francisco Police Department said a traffic collision involving a scooter happened around 2 a.m.
Sunday in San Francisco’s Marina District. The rider sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
Reports also said the accident happened near the Balboa Cafe after the scooter struck a fire engine.
Vitello made clear the crash didn’t change the bigger picture. Bader was already headed toward a season-ending result because of the foot injury that had kept him out for more than two months.
His season had already been interrupted before that. Earlier in the year, Bader missed about a month with a hamstring injury, and between the two setbacks he appeared in just 30 games in his first season with San Francisco after signing a two-year, $20.5 million free-agent deal in the offseason.
When he was on the field, the numbers never really caught up. Bader hit .170 with a .198 on-base percentage and a .358 slugging percentage in 106 at-bats. He added five home runs, 14 RBIs and no stolen bases, and his 54 OPS+ was the lowest mark of his Major League career.
The bat never got going, but the glove still mattered. Bader has long been known as a strong defensive center fielder, and the former Gold Glove winner continued to provide that kind of value when healthy.
Now the Giants are left to finish the season without one of their veteran outfielders. With the team already out of playoff contention and nearing the MLB trade deadline, Bader’s absence only sharpens the focus on what comes next and leaves San Francisco with one less experienced option as it looks ahead.
In Other News...
Clay Holmes Already Feels Like A Cubs Decision That Could Linger
The Cubs did important work at the trade deadline by landing Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes without surrendering top prospects Josiah Hartshorn and Jaxon Wiggins, a balancing act that matters now and later. Holmes, in particular, stands out because this is not just about filling a short-term hole in the pitching staff. Around the club, he is already being viewed as someone who could fit into the rotation picture beyond this season, which gives the move a different kind of weight than a typical deadline rental.
For now, though, the immediate question is more basic: when is Holmes ready to help in Chicago, and in what capacity? Conversations about his recovery and the best way to bring him back are still ongoing, which leaves the Cubs in a holding pattern even as they look to make the most of the deadline haul. The bigger decision on Holmes may come later, once the team has a clearer sense of how he looks and how he fits, but he has already become one of those acquisitions that can shape more than a pennant race. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Left Field Plan Says A Lot About Ian Happ Right Now
The Cubs have made a clear adjustment in left field, one that says plenty about where Ian Happ stands in the lineup right now. After bringing in Tyrone Taylor and also calling up Kevin Alcntara, Chicago has reshaped its outfield mix with an eye on matchups, and Craig Counsell pointed to Taylors work against left-handed pitching as part of the reasoning behind the move.
For Happ, the shift means fewer opportunities when the opponent sends a lefty to the mound, and the Cubs appear committed to that setup for the rest of the 2026 season. It is a notable turn for a regular who has long been part of the clubs everyday core, and it also leaves Chicago with some flexibility as it keeps sorting out how best to use the new pieces it has added. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Tuckers Wrigley Return Gave Cubs Fans One More Reason To Pile On
Wrigley Field had not changed much by the time Kyle Tucker walked back into it, but the reception sure had. Cubs fans made their feelings known throughout his return, turning a familiar setting into a hostile one for a player who once wore their uniform and was supposed to be part of the next era on the North Side.
The backdrop only sharpened the reaction. Tucker had already become a source of frustration for Cubs fans because of the way his 2025 season unfolded, and his first year with the Dodgers after signing a massive contract has not exactly quieted the noise either. Los Angeles is still chasing a championship, but for Cubs supporters, Tuckers latest trip to Wrigley was another chance to pile on. [Read more 🡒]