Report: Former top Giants prospect once again sidelined

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LOS ANGELES -- Will Smith will miss the entire season after having Tommy John surgery in the spring. It appears the top prospect traded for Smith will also miss most or all of the year. 

Right-hander Phil Bickford had surgery to repair two fractures in his pitching hand, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Bickford was sent to Milwaukee last August 1 with Andrew Susac, with the Giants getting Smith in return. The 2015 first-round pick was already serving a 50-game suspension for a second positive test for a drug of abuse. 

Per Haudricourt, Bickford was pitching in an extended spring training game when a line drive hit his pitching hand. Surgery will keep him out for eight to 12 weeks. So far, none of the players in that deal have sniffed a major league game in 2017. A neck injury kept Susac from competing for an opening day job and he was recently sent to Triple-A. He is batting .118 in 10 games on a rehab assignment. 

In an odd coincidence, the other big name sent out at the deadline -- Matt Duffy -- is also still sidelined. Duffy is not fully recovered from heel surgery, although he has stepped up the rehab process in recent days. He has not yet appeared for Tampa Bay this season. 

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