SAN FRANCISCO -- When the Giants put Wilmer Flores back on the IL last month, they were hopeful that a platelet-rich plasma injection finally could get him over the hump. It didn't do the trick, and after Flores had a Tenex procedure on his ailing right knee on Tuesday, they conceded what was starting to become obvious.
Flores won't play again this season, manager Bob Melvin told reporters in Washington D.C. on Tuesday. After having the best offensive year of his career last season, he'll end this one having played in just 71 games.
Flores hit .206 and his OPS dipped under .600 for the first time since his rookie year. He hit just four homers after slugging a career-high 23 last season, when he was the most consistent hitter on a team that struggled to produce in the second half.
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"It obviously affected what he was doing this year," Melvin said at Nationals Park. "This is a guy who last year led the team in home runs and was about as clutch a guy as you could possibly have. He was fighting it all year and unfortunately we're going to lose him for the rest of the year, which isn't ideal, but hopefully he's 100 percent next year. I think he's got an option with us next year and hopefully he's back.
"He's someone that I've really admired from the other side in the past and he has a ton of leadership qualities here. Still, even though he's not here, he's checking in and telling me to keep it rolling, all of the things you'd expect out of a leader. He's a stud."
Flores turned 33 on Tuesday, and there's a chance that his time in San Francisco is over. His initial contract with the Giants was such a success that they extended him late in the 2022 MLB season, giving him a two-year deal that he more than lived up to with last season's production alone. The contract included a complicated option that will make for an interesting offseason discussion.
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If Flores exercises the option for 2025, he will earn a base salary of $3.5 million. If he declines, the Giants will have a club option worth $8.5 million.
At the time that they agreed to the deal, it seemed possible that the Giants would want Flores back at that latter number in 2025. It's now a given that they would pass, but Flores might find that locking in the $3.5 million salary is his best move this winter.
The Giants could treat that as a buyout if they prefer to use the roster spot on someone else, but it seems likely that they would at least bring Flores to big league camp next year and see if he can recapture part of his previous form. Even with this year's numbers, Flores has a .761 OPS in five seasons in San Francisco, with 76 homers.
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