Posey to pass on All-Star Game with nagging injury

Giants catcher Buster Posey will decline his invitation to the 89th annual All-Star Game in Washington, D.C. next week, according Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

Posey was selected as the reserve catcher position on the National League squad in a poll among his peers. But he will instead use the break to rest a hip injury and receive cortisone injections to treat inflammation that has nagged since May.

Issues with the five-time All-Star’s right hip were first mentioned by the team in late May when he was benched for May 26 and 27 games against the Cubs. But it’s likely the hip issue appeared earlier and resting him during the All-Star break to get the injections has been something the team has been considering for the last month or so. 

Posey got the equivalent of a day off as the designated hitter in Houston on May 23 then an actual off-day May 24, and after playing the May 25 series opener against the Cubs, the announcement was made that the Giants catcher would need rest. In addition to the two days or rest Posey received, he was out of the lineup five other times before that in May — for comparison: he took just two days off in April and, in June, just four. 

Bochy said Posey will remain behind the plate for the team through Sunday after which he will receive the cortisone injections:

“It’s flared up on him, he’s missed some time because of it not too long ago. Our hope is [he’ll]  make it through this week and then we can give him this injection and hopefully four days off and we’ll get this thing cleared up.”

The skipper added:

“He’s been playing with it, but you can tell its bothered him. He’s been a warrior through this,  but the break will serve him well.”

This would have been Posey’s first All-Star appearance in which he wasn’t selected as a starter via fan vote, which went to Cubs catcher Willson Contreras.

MLB has announced Cardinals catcher and eight-time Gold Glover Yadier Molina will fill the reserve position in Posey’s stead. It will be Molina’s ninth All Star Game.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford was selected as the Nation League’s starting shortstop, and first basemen Brandon Belt is being considered for the Final Vote, which fans can vote for an unlimited number of times up until Wednesday, July 11, at 4 p.m. Belt made his first (and only, thus far) All-Star appearance through the Final Vote in 2016.

Hunter Pence and Derek Holland put together a video ahead of Monday’s game campaigning for Belt in his run to fill the final slot on the NL All-Star Team. The two Giants are known in the clubhouse for their energy and sense of humor.

---

Julie Parker is SFBay’s San Francisco Giants beat writer. Follow @SFBay and @InsideThePark3r on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of Giants baseball.