The San Francisco Giants have halted payment to outfielder Harrison Bader following the aggravation of his left foot injury in a scooter accident. Bader had been sidelined since late May due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The injury became more severe after the incident that occurred early Sunday morning in San Francisco.
According to a statement from Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey, “Over the weekend, Harrison Bader was involved in an accident that has delayed Harrison’s prior treatment timeline for plantar fasciitis and, unfortunately, his return to the field.” Posey added, “We are still investigating the circumstances of the accident, but will be suspending payment to Harrison until he is able to resume performing services for the club.”
Bader had signed a two-year, $20.5 million contract with the team that includes a $4.5 million base salary for the current season. He is still owed $1.42 million for the rest of this season. Reports from the San Francisco Chronicle indicate Bader was in a vehicle collision while riding his scooter at approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday in San Francisco’s Marina District. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Prior to his time on the injured list, the 32-year-old Bader held a batting average of .170 with five home runs, 14 RBIs, and a .557 OPS over 30 games. It was also noted that this is not Bader’s first scooter-related incident. In 2014, while at the University of Florida, he was suspended after hitting a curb and colliding with a truck. He was unresponsive at the scene and reportedly smelled of alcohol according to an incident report referenced by the Gainesville Sun.