Giancarlo Stanton Shut Down for Rest of 2014 Season with Facial Injuries

As expected, Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond announced Wednesday that star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will miss the remainder of the 2014 MLB season. The news comes six days after Stanton was hit in the face by a fastball from Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers.     

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported the news:

The 24-year-old Stanton suffered lacerations, multiple fractures and dental damage to his face after being hit near the left cheek by Fiers in the fifth inning of Thursday's game in Milwaukee. His wounds required more than 20 stitches, according to Frisaro.

While the Marlins did not officially rule him out for the season and remained publicly hopeful he'd return, the severity of his injuries and Miami's dwindling playoff hopes made a return seem unlikely. Stanton underwent additional testing Tuesday evening, with Redmond's onerous tone all but confirming he'd miss the team's 12 remaining games.

"[Stanton] was being checked out later this afternoon," Redmond told reporters after Miami's 9-1 loss to the New York Mets. "We'll have an official statement [Wednesday], but it's probably not looking good for him."

Stanton has largely remained in good spirits despite what potentially could have been a career-ending injury. Earlier this week he took to Instagram, showing his recovery over the last week and thanking fans for their support (warning: video is graphic).

"The Aftermath...Making huge progress," Stanton wrote (warning: photo is graphic). "Want to thank everyone who has played a part in my recovery process. Your kind messages, thoughts & prayers have meant the world to me. Pushing forward."

A contender for the National League MVP before his injury, Stanton hit an NL-high 37 home runs and was leading all of baseball with 105 runs batted in. (Mike Trout and Adrian Gonzalez have since passed him.)

He was also showing vast improvement to his all-around game. Not typically known for his plate discipline, Stanton set a career high with a .395 on-base percentage and more than doubled his previous high in stolen bases with 13. Still far from an elite defensive outfielder, metrics also graded him far closer to league average in 2014 than last season. 

His 6.0 wins above replacement (another career high) puts him tied for fifth in baseball among hitters, per FanGraphs. 

"He's the leader of this franchise,'' Marlins president David Samson recently told USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "We always knew the talent he had, but what he's done this year, playing every day, he's the definition of a game-changer. We call him a no-food player. A no-bathroom player. When he comes to the plate, nobody leaves their seat. There's no question he's the MVP of this league."

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

The Marlins' decision to shut Stanton down is no doubt helped by their nearly nonexistent playoff hopes. Miami is seven games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second NL wild-card spot coming into Wednesday night and has two teams (Milwaukee and Atlanta) in between. The team has dropped three of five games since Stanton's injury, averaging fewer than three runs per contest.

On the bright side, Stanton is expected to recover in plenty of time for spring training—at least from a physical standpoint. The mental side of things—most notably getting Stanton back into a rhythm in the batter's box—will be important if he hopes to build on his monster 2014 season.

It'll also bear watching how Stanton and his representation choose to handle this winter. Still not even near the apex of his career, Stanton will again be arbitration eligible—and nearing the point of no return when it comes to a long-term contract negotiation. The small-market Marlins would love to keep Stanton around through his prime, but he'll be among the most sought-after players in recent memory if he hits the open market.

Either way, it's a positive sign of progress for Stanton that we can even begin to discuss his contract status now. That he's out for the season is disappointing but inevitable given everyone's commitment to his future health.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter