SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants season started with Brandon Belt riding in from left field on a boat, fully embracing the role of Captain. It will end without Belt.
Belt told NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday that he will have knee surgery on Saturday, ending his 2022 season. The procedure will be the third on his right knee but will be a cleanup, similar to a 2015 surgery. In 2018, he had a more serious procedure on the knee, which has continued to give him problems and landed him back on the IL last month.
Belt, who turned 34 earlier this season, said he would like to continue playing but he needs to see how the knee responds. He is a free agent at the end of the season.
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"It's just going to depend. I'm going to play next year if I can get my knee healthy and strong again," he told NBC Sports Bay Area. "Last time I had this surgery (in 2015) I responded really well to it. That's what I'm anticipating ... If I can get it strong like I did (in 2015) then I'll play, but if not then I'm not going to go out there and be substandard all the time. We'll just have to see."
Belt first had knee surgery in 2015 to repair a torn meniscus and went under the knife again three years later, with that surgery including a microfracture. He missed 23 games earlier this season with right knee inflammation and has had the knee drained several times going back to spring training to try and help with swelling. Eventually, the constant swelling and soreness became too much for Belt, who had trouble even moving around with his kids last offseason.
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Belt was put on the IL on the last road trip and got a second opinion from Dr. Tim McAdams of Stanford Medicine on Tuesday. Surgery was recommended and team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki will do it on Saturday, repairing the damaged cartilage in Belt's knee. After the best season of his career, Belt will end up playing just 78 games in 2022.
