SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants were left holding their breath after losing infielder Casey Schmitt to a left knee injury in the bottom of the second inning of Monday night’s 3-0 series-opening win over the Brewers at Oracle Park.
Schmitt led off the inning with a bloop single to right field, but he tweaked his knee after slamming on the brakes as he rounded first base. Head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner and manager Tony Vitello quickly emerged from the dugout to evaluate Schmitt, who ended up limping off the field and needed help descending the stairs in the home dugout.
Vitello said Schmitt exited the game with “knee discomfort” and said the 27-year-old would undergo an MRI exam on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury.
“He’s doing all right,” Vitello said. “Obviously, he’s a little bummed out. He’s a guy that loves playing every day. He’s definitely not going to play tomorrow. Scary moment there for him. Knee discomfort right now is what we would label it. He’s got to get looked at tomorrow. He’ll get looked at as in detail as possible tomorrow and see what we’ve got.”
Losing Schmitt would be a huge blow for the Giants, as the super-utility man has emerged as one of the club’s top hitters this year. He’s batting .271 with a .784 OPS and ranks second on the team with a career-high 21 home runs over 98 games in 2026.
Schmitt had been filling in at third base for Matt Chapman, who is currently on the 10-day injured list with an abdominal strain. Chapman took batting practice at Oracle Park on Monday, but he isn’t expected to return until the Giants’ upcoming series at San Diego this weekend.
“I would say it’s almost a certainty that it would probably involve somebody else rather than trying to rush things [with Chapman] and have something else pop up,” Vitello said.
With Schmitt likely to miss time, the Giants could lean on Christian Koss to fill in at the hot corner for the next couple of days. Koss entered the game to pinch-run for Schmitt and stayed in to play third base in the top of the third.
The Giants also have Osleivis Basabe and Parks Harber, the club’s No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, available at Triple-A Sacramento if needed.