Matt Cain Injury: Updates on Giants Star's Ankle Surgery and Recovery

An already rough 2014 season just got worse for Matt Cain.

The San Francisco Giants, via Amy Gutierrez of CSN Bay Area, announced that the veteran starting pitcher, who was already recovering from an elbow injury earlier in the year, had surgery on his right ankle:

MLB.com's Chris Haft reported that the ankle surgery shouldn't create an issue Cain's original offseason recovery plan. The 29-year-old is set to begin throwing again in December, so if all goes according to plan, he'll have fully recovered from the ankle problem in time.

Cain's numbers were the worst they've ever been in his 10-year career. In 15 starts, he posted a 2-7 record and a 4.18 earned run average. His FIP was even worse, at 4.58, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

In a way, the ankle injury came at a perfect time, since Cain was already on the shelf. The Giants knew they couldn't count on him anyway for the postseason. In addition, the injury shouldn't overlap with his pre-planned offseason regimen.

San Francisco will continue to keep its head down, having secured a wild-card berth. The team will play in the one-game playoff to earn a spot in the 2014 NLDS.