Giants' Pence suffers fractured forearm; expected to miss 6-8 weeks

The San Francisco Giants will open their title defense without three-time All-Star outfielder Hunter Pence.

Pence is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his left forearm during Thursday's exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Pence was removed from the game in the sixth inning after getting hit near his hands by a fastball from Cubs pitcher Corey Black. The fracture is just above Pence's left wrist.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy feared the worst after Pence exited for the trainer's room.

"You know Hunter. He’s always upbeat and optimistic," Bochy told reporters. "He was trying to move out of the way. It ran in and caught him there. It happens. If it is broken, the silver lining is that least it's early in the spring, so he can start the healing process."

The optimistic end of Pence's recovery timeline returns him to action during the middle of April, though it remains likely he'll miss up to a month of the regular season.

The remarkably durable outfielder is the only player in baseball to suit up for all 162 games in each of the last two seasons, and his 383 consecutive appearance streak is the third-longest in franchise history. 

Since joining the Giants in 2012, Pence is the team leader in several offensive categories, including hits, runs, homers and RBIs. The eight-year veteran hit .444 with four extra-base hits during the Giants' World Series win over the Kansas City Royals last season.

Pence's injury likely signals more playing time for left-handed hitting Gregor Blanco, who was expected to serve as the club's fourth outfielder following the offseason acquisition of Nori Aoki. 

Blanco saw an increase in action during the Giants' postseason run after the club lost Michael Morse to an oblique injury. The 31-year-old swiped 16 bases and posted a .333 OBP across 146 games in 2014.