Concussions likely have ended season of Giants catcher Sanchez
Updated 11:11 pm, Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Hector Sanchez appears to be done for the season after he was diagnosed with another concussion, having taken a foul tip off his mask while catching for Triple-A Fresno on Saturday.
"This will take some time probably," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's hard to rush a kid back and put back that risk of this happening again."
Sanchez was put on the concussion disabled list in late July and was rehabbing with Fresno. He had changed masks in a bid to prevent another concussion. Until further notice, Andrew Susac is Buster Posey's backup.
"There's a real-life concern, our concern, and he should be very concerned," general manager Brian Sabean said of Sanchez. "But we'll do what we did with (Brandon) Belt. We'll be methodical with further testing and continue to evaluate him."
Belt remains on the concussion DL.
"I know one thing," Sabean said. "At the end of the year, I'm sure Major League Baseball, because of front-office concerns, managerial concerns, the medical concerns, they'll have to take a hard look at this. What is it? Is pitching that much better? Are there more foul balls instead of balls in play? I don't have the answer. It's a common theme now. Guys are getting hit. So what is it? Is it equipment? Is it technique? Is it better pitching? I'm not an expert."
Sabean added, "What you don't know, which is what we learned from the (Mike) Matheny case, is how many times did it happen in the minors? In winter ball? A major-league game where the guy just wore it? Never said a word. It's part of the job, part of the position. Now there's more people in the know and understanding that guys don't have to worry about being too tough."
Panik better: Joe Panik felt improvement with his dislocated left pinkie and said he hopes to be available to play Wednesday. He went through defensive drills and took 25 swings off a tee and more during on-field batting practice.
The second baseman, hitting .419 over his past 12 games, was hurt Sunday sliding headfirst into second.
5:05 p.m. CSNBA
Peavy (1-3) vs. Jackson (6-13)
5:05 p.m. CSNBA
Bumgarner (13-9) vs. Wood (7-10)
4:05 p.m. CSNBA
Hudson (8-9) vs. Fister (12-3)
Won't go away: The Hunter Pence sign games continue. Here's one from Chicago: "Hunter Pence prefers thin crust."
Weather at Wrigley
The Giants-Cubs game in Chicago on Tuesday was delayed by rain and issues with the tarp with the Giants trailing 2-0 midway through the fifth inning. As late as 1 a.m. local time they were hoping to resume play. Go to sfchronicle.com.
John Shea is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.