Top Giants prospect Joey Bart suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right thumb after being hit by a pitch while playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions on Tuesday night, prematurely ending his impressive run in the Arizona Fall League.
Bart was evaluated in Arizona on Wednesday afternoon by hand specialist Donald Sheridan, who did not recommend surgery for the 22-year-old catcher. Bart is expected to make a full recovery in four to six weeks.
Bart was forced to depart Tuesday's game against the Peoria Javelinas after being struck on the right hand by a 96-mph fastball from Pirates prospect Blake Cederlind. It was another tough break for Bart, who also suffered a left hand fracture on a hit-by-pitch during the regular season and had been hoping to recoup some at-bats by playing in the AFL.
Bart had emerged as one of the top players in the AFL before the injury, batting .333 with a 1.290 OPS and four home runs over 30 at-bats for Scottsdale. He was selected to represent the Scorpions in Saturday's Fall Stars Game.