More details about Harrison Bader’s late-night scooter crash. Giants seek info - The San Francisco Standard

San Francisco Giants outfielder Harrison Bader had been on the injured list for most of the season when he was involved in a scooter collision early Sunday near Balboa Cafe. The incident just before 2 a.m. further damaged the 32-year-old’s left foot. He had already been shelved with plantar fasciitis in the same foot and has appeared in only 30 games. Bader isn’t expected to return this season, and Friday’s announcement that the team won’t pay him until he recovers reinforces that. “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,” said Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey. The Giants signed Bader on a two-year, $20.5 million deal last winter. The scooter incident will cost him. The Major League Baseball Players Association declined to comment. After Sunday’s incident, Bader was taken to a nearby hospital from the scene on the 2200 block of Greenwich Street, according to the San Francisco Fire Department, which is investigating. A law enforcement source said Bader’s scooter collided with an SFFD vehicle that was in the vicinity of Greenwich and Fillmore streets in Cow Hollow. Fire Station 16 is located on the block. Video reviewed by The Standard shows a fire truck arriving at Fire Station 16; minutes later, the street is filled with fire and police vehicles with flashing lights. A fire official was at Balboa Cafe, a few doors down from the site, on Thursday, speaking with the restaurant’s management. A league source said the Giants’ legal department is looking into Sunday’s incident. Under MLB’s collective bargaining agreement, section 5(b), players are barred from taking part in high-risk activities, such as skydiving, skiing, auto racing, or motorcycle racing, without the written consent of the team. The CBA also noted that a player’s participation in other sports “may impair or destroy his ability and skill as a baseball player.” If a player is found to be in violation of the contract clauses, his club can try to void his contract or dock his pay. This is not the first time Giants players have run into trouble over off-the-field vehicle incidents. In 2017, ace pitcher Madison Bumgarner got into a motorcycle accident in Colorado that put him on the injured list. At that time, the team chose not to penalize the World Series MVP, as was allowed under the CBA. But the relationship with Bader is far more fraught. After signing his two-year deal in January to be the Giants’ everyday center fielder, Bader hit just .170 with a .198 on-base percentage in 30 games. In response to a question on whether Bader would be disciplined, manager Tony Vitello on Thursday said, “I don’t know the exact circumstances” of the incident. Asked if he’s a fan of scooters, Vitello said, “Not at all.” Additionally, the manager pointed to Brewers infielder David Hamilton, who tore his Achilles tendon in a scooter accident at the University of Texas and missed a college season. “I could not have spent more time recruiting a guy or showing him more love when he first burst onto the scene,” Vitello said of Hamilton. “I always use that story as an example for the college kids, because they all have them now, and they use them to go from class to class. “I also spent a lot of time in Nashville, and Nashville’s become a fun place for a lot of people,” he added.” And if you’re on a scooter around those people, you are risking a lot.” The Giants had said Tuesday that Bader would get an MRI to determine the severity of the latest injury, but Vitello said Thursday he didn’t believe the tests had been taken. In 2014, when Bader was a University of Florida baseball player, he was suspended for 19 games after he crashed a scooter into a parked vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Bader’s tenure with the Giants has been riddled with injuries, but in the games he has played, he caught fans’ attention for his role in the outfielders’ viral hip-thrusting celebration early in the season — a routine Vitello reportedly shut down. The Giants are having a rough season, posting one of the worst records in baseball. Third baseman Casey Schmitt tore his meniscus Tuesday, Matt Chapman has been out with an abdominal strain, and pitchers Hayden Birdsong, Randy Rodriguez have been out all season after Tommy John surgery, and pitcher Trevor McDonald will undergo Tommy John surgery next week. This story was updated on Friday, July 31 to reflect the Giants’ suspending payment to Bader.