San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum’s hip is giving him so much trouble that he might never pitch again for the franchise.
Speaking with Andrew Baggerly of mercurynews.com, the two-time Cy Young Award winner revealed he is worried any return to the mound this year could cause further damage. And, since he’s a free agent, this could mean his final pitch with the Giants would have been back on June 27 of this year.
“I really don’t know. I mean, I hope not,” said Lincecum about whether or not his days in a Giants uniform are over. “I can’t predict the future. I have good days and bad days.
“The bad days are outshining the good ones,” he said.
Lincecum’s entire career has been spent in San Francisco. He’s helped the Giants win two championships and has been a fan favorite throughout his tenure with the club. That said, it’s been some time since batters have feared Lincecum, whose game has diminished over the past few seasons.
All told, his career record currently sits at 108-83 and he’s earned a career ERA of 3.61.
The 31-year old pitcher attempted to pitch off a mound last week at team facilities in Arizona but experienced a setback when his hip locked up again—a development he admits is frustrating.
“It’s definitely frustrating but I’ve got to find a way to move forward,” Lincecum said. “The training staff is definitely doing their best to help me out. … (The shots) aren’t taking hold the way we had hoped. I don’t know. It’s a band-aid situation. To be honest, we’re trying to explore as many options as we can.”
Surgery isn’t off the table, but that could very well be the best option if nothing else works.
He also mentioned that his desire is to at least be able to pitch one last time in front of the faithful fans at AT&T Park in San Francisco but realizes it may not happen. Ultimately, he wants to be able to play competitively again, even it it’s not with the Giants.