The San Francisco Giants are suspending payments to outfielder Harrison Bader following his involvement in a late-night scooter crash in Cow Hollow last weekend. Bader has been out of action since late May with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
As SFist previously reported, witnesses to Bader's accident say he was in the vicinity of Cow Hollow at approximately 1:50am when he crashed his scooter into the back of a San Francisco Fire Department fire engine. The wheel then rolled over his already maligned left foot, resulting in major injury.
In a statement shared by KRON4 on Saturday, Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey acknowledged the incident while confirming the team's decision to withhold payment pending a full investigation:
“Over the weekend," Posey stated, "Harrison Bader was involved in an accident that has delayed Harrison’s prior treatment timeline for plantar fasciitis and, unfortunately, his return to the field. We are still investigating the circumstances of the accident, but will be suspending payment to Harrison until he is able to resume performing services for the Club."
The decision by Giants' brass to stop paying Bader may also have been influenced by the fact that last weekend's accident was not the outfielder's first scooter-related crash. Per reporting from USA Today and SFGATE, Bader had a previous scooter incident in 2014 while attending the University of Florida that resulted in police reportedly finding him unconscious with a "strong odor of alcohol" on his breath.
Bader is currently in the first year of a two-year, $20.5 million contract after signing with the Giants as a free agent back in January. Prior to be sidelined with plantar fasciitis, he'd already earned the ire of some fans thanks to a paltry .170 batting average and .198 on-base percentage across the 30 games he did play.
While Bader's next move will likely be to file a grievance with the player's union, beat writer John Shea notes for SF Standard that "the Giants believe they have sufficient evidence that Bader violated his contract based on language in the collective bargaining agreement."
Image: Harrison Bader #9 of the San Francisco Giants welcomes teammates back to the dugout between innings against the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park on June 09, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
