SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants first baseman Brandon Belt underwent an MRI examination to determine the extent of his right knee ailment and is on day-to-day playing status, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday.
Belt, who is batting .253 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs in 112 games, knows he might need to have some sort of surgical procedure performed on his knee. His discomfort prevented him from starting Saturday night against the Atlanta Braves, after being forced to leave Friday's game before the seventh inning.
"Right now, there's no change in the knee," Bochy said. "It just gets sore when there's inflammation in there."
Belt has expressed his desire to play through the rest of the season before having surgery. Bochy has pointed out that Austin Slater is the roster's only player who has even a moderate amount of first-base experience, which adds importance to Belt remaining active. But the Giants don't want Belt playing if he's risking further damage to his knee.
As a result, rookie catcher Aramis Garcia has taken some ground balls at first base and could spend some time there if Belt is shelved. Garcia has played 32 games at first in the Minors and in the Arizona Fall League.