Madison Bumgarner injures left shoulder in dirt bike accident, placed on DL

Madison Bumgarner suffered a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder after a dirt bike accident, and the San Francisco Giants placed their lefty ace on the disabled list, an absence that could last several weeks.

It is a potentially devastating blow for the Giants, who announced he suffered a Grade 1 or 2 sprain of the AC joint in his shoulder, along with bruised ribs, after his fall on the team's off day in Denver.

Bumgarner is 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts this season with the Giants, who are off to a 6-9 start.

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Here's a young guy, like a lot of us, you think you're invincible," manager Bruce Bochy said before the Giants opened a three-game series with the Rockies. "Our focus, it's on, 'Let's get him healthy.' It's happened. Let's get him well and get him back on the mound. Hopefully, it's a lesson learned ... You've got to be careful in some of these activities we do."

It's not likely Bumgarner will require surgery for what figures to be a slight shoulder separation. However, the more time he spends inactive - which could be a period of days or weeks - the longer it will take to regain arm strength.

It is the first trip to the disabled list for Bumgarner, who in his nine major league seasons developed a sheen of invincibility buttressed by his now-legendary playoff performances. He has a career 100-70 record and 2.99 ERA, and an 8-3 playoff mark that includes his MVP performance in the 2014 World Series.

Now, the snarling southpaw will land on the list of players injured in dubious fashion while engaging in off-field activities. It's an area the Giants know well: MVP second baseman Jeff Kent missed the start of the 2002 season when he was injured while popping wheelies on his motorcycle during spring training.

Kent originally said he injured his wrist washing his truck, but eventually the truth emerged.

Bumgarner does not shy away from challenging activities. He owns a 100-acre property in rural North Carolina, and still chops down trees himself.

He signed a six-year, $35.5 million deal with the Giants that could extend through 2019 if the club, as expected, picks up options for the next two seasons. It's not known whether the contract had a clause allowing for in-season dirt bike activities.

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