Alabama third baseman Garrett Staton has suffered a broken finger and will undergo surgery on Thursday, head coach Rob Vaughn announced Wednesday.
Staton suffered the injury getting hit by a pitch while trying to check his swing in Tuesday’s game against Middle Tennessee State. The timeline for him to return to play is unclear.
“‘He’s going to have surgery first thing in the morning, and then from there we’ll have a better idea of a timeline,” Vaughn said.
The infielder transferred in this season from Samford after spending the first four seasons of his collegiate career there. He hit .292 and slugged 32 homers during his time with the Bulldogs, including a .319 average and 19 homers in 2024.
Staton was expected to be a key contributor for the Crimson Tide lineup heading into the season and was a preseason All-American. He had started three games so far and hit a grand slam Saturday in the win over Bradley.
“Obviously, you hate it for him because he’s playing elite level baseball right now,” Vaughn said. “He’s in a great mental place right now, as good as you can be after something like that.”
With Staton sidelined due to the injury, it will open up more playing time for Brennan Norton, who has batted 4/7 with 2 RBIs since replacing Staton after the injury on Tuesday.
“Brennan is just so mature,” Vaughn said. “He was ready. I’m sure that’s not how he wanted to get in the game, but he did a great job.”
