San Francisco Giants: Hunter Pence Having Surgery Thursday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence will have surgery on his hamstring Thursday after being placed on the disabled list last week.

The San Francisco Giants are in first place in the NL West, but they will be without Hunter Pence for the next two months.

Pence was placed on the disabled list last Wednesday, with the news of his surgery being announced Sunday.

An article on ESPN.com explained his options:

"Earlier in the weekend, Pence was told he had a 50-50 chance of returning if he skipped surgery and just did rehabilitation work, but if he did that and re-injured himself, the recovery time would be longer."

He leaves the team with a .298 average and a team-best 36 RBI, but this surgery will only keep him out eight weeks, according to the article.

Choosing surgery seems like the right choice based on the uncertainty of what could happen if he just underwent rehab.

The fact he tore his tendon off the bone should make the Giants feel lucky he will only be out eight weeks. Getting him back in early or mid-August will essentially serve as a late-season acquisition for a team looking to win a fourth World Series since 2010. It is an even-numbered year, which has been the Giants’ speciality since 2010.

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Pence’s absence brings up the possibility of looking for a replacement, but it may not be wise to spend or give up too much for someone who will be a backup in August.

Jarrett Parker has been the current replacement, even hitting a home run Sunday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Parker is no Pence, but the only way a trade should be made is if it comes out that Pence’s recovery time will be longer than expected. There is nearly two months until the trade deadline, so there is no need to rush.

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Parker can fill in for now, and if he does terribly over the next week or two, options can be explored. But if he can be a suitable replacement, hitting around the .250 mark, he can hold down right field until Pence is fully healthy and able to return.