During Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Florida Marlins, outfielder Scott Cousins barreled into San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey to score the eventual winning run. However, the real significance of the collision was that it sent Posey's ankle in a direction ankles were not meant to go (WARNING: this gif is pretty brutal). The team took x-rays of Posey's ankle following the game and are sending him to get an MRI Thursday morning. The x-ray would likely determine any sort of break, while the MRI would be a better way to determine if there was any additional ligament damage. Although a broken ankle is a long recovery, ligament damage that goes beyond the broken bone could create an even longer recovery time.
Whatever the results of the MRI, it would seem like the absolute best case scenario for Posey is a high ankle sprain, and even that is incredibly unlikely based on the footage of the injury. Posey will likely miss an extended amount of time, with the x-ray and MRI giving the team a specific idea of the rehab period. When/if Posey ends up on the disabled list, Eli Whiteside will take over as starting catcher for at least the short term.
While Posey hasn't been hitting the lights out, he's still a significant team leader. It's a tough blow so the coming hours and days will be important for the Giants 2011 future, and possible beyond. We'll be back with plenty of updates on this huge story. If you want to commiserate with fellow Giants fans, head over to McCovey Chronicles.