Aubrey Huff placed on DL because of anxiety

We have our Aubrey Huff answer: The Giants placed Huff on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday afternoon because the veteran has had what manager Bruce Bochy called “an episode of anxiety.” Huff left the team Monday morning and has been getting treatment.

Bochy said he expected Huff to rejoin the team Friday in San Francisco. But to avoid playing shorthanded for further games, the club purchased the contract of Triple-A infielder Joaquin Arias and placed Huff on the DL.

Bochy spoke with Huff on Wednesday afternoon after days of exchanging text messages. Asked if Huff’s anxiety was related to personal or baseball problems, Bochy said: “I don’t know if he even knows. It could be both.”

“We are always going to do all we can to help the player,” Bochy said. “That’s the case with Aubrey.”

The immediate reaction that I saw on Twitter was, well, pretty snarky. I don’t think that’s the appropriate response here. Regardless of how much money someone makes or how famous they are, some people just can’t function when they go through something like this. I personally know several people who have dealt with anxiety issues — it can be a hard thing to go through.

It’s not unusual in baseball, either. The Reds’ Joey Votto left the team in 2009 because he was “totally overwhelmed” with grief and anxiety after the death of his father. Zack Greinke also has dealt with social anxiety disorder, as have many other big leaguers.

“Absolutely,” Bochy said when asked if this is easier to deal with than it used to be. “I’m sure it was there when we played but we probably weren’t as likely to talk about it openly. These players deal with different pressures of life, whether it’s home, personal or on the ball field.”

Bochy said he “thought this could be a possibility” when Huff left the team. But as the Giants took the field Wednesday (they have since retreated to the clubhouse because of rain), most the team did not know what specifically was wrong with Huff.

They’re finding out at the moment, I’m sure.

Bochy said he expects Huff to be with the team during his stint on the disabled list.


(sfgate.com)