Buster Posey Suffers Head Injury After Being Hit by Taijuan Walker Pitch

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey was forced to leave Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks after being hit in the head with a pitch, per the Associated Press (via ESPN).

Taijuan Walker was responsible for the first-inning fastball that sent Posey to the ground.

Posey wasn't quite the overwhelming force he typically is at the plate in 2016, but losing him in 2017 would be a devastating blow for the Giants. He is currently hitting 7-for-21 (.333 batting average) with one home run in six games this year.

He slashed .288/.362/.434 with 14 home runs and 80 RBI last season, which marked his lowest batting average and home run totals since the 2011 campaign, when he played just 45 games. Still, he made his fourth All-Star Game, won a Gold Glove and is one of the best players in the entire National League when healthy.

Posey won the 2012 National League MVP and 2010 NL Rookie of the Year and has three World Series rings on his sparkling resume. He is still one of San Francisco's anchors as it pursues yet another title with him behind the plate.

Look for the Giants to turn to Nick Hundley during Posey's absence. Backup catcher Trevor Brown is currently on the 10-day disabled list due to a sprained ankle. Brown appeared in 75 games last season after playing just 13 in 2015, but Hundley can provide some pop with his bat, as evidenced by his 10 home runs last year.

The Giants still have plenty of weapons with Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto in the starting rotation and Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford in the lineup, but Posey is a major reason they are on the short list of teams that can realistically win the World Series. They need him back and healthy.