Season over for Freddy Sanchez

Freddy Sanchez was supposed to re-join the Giants on May 11.

Now, he may never re-join the team.

The Giants announced that Sanchez had surgery on his balky back today, ending any chance of playing this season and effectively ending his career on the team.

Manager Bruce Bochy spoke with the media regarding Freddy:

“It’s been a long road for Freddy. I know he’s disappointed. He certainly played a critical role in our success in 2010. He helped us win a World Series.”

Sanchez, trying to come back from shoulder surgery that ended his 2011 season, hurt his back at the end of April during a rehab stint with the Class A San Jose Giants. His last game for San Jose was April 26. He was actually playing well, with four hits in 10 at-bats.

On May 27, The Chronicle’s Henry Schulman was told by Bochy that Sanchez had received yet another epidural injection in his back and was being shut down from all baseball activity.

Then, on June 7, CSN Bay Area’s Andrew Baggarly wrote that Sanchez had started throwing and hitting, but he was never able to get back in to game action.

And the 34-year-old may never get back on the field.

Following the 2010 season when Sanchez helped guide the Giants to the World Series, the team rewarded him with a two-year, $12 million deal. The Giants got very little return on their investment, as Sanchez only played in 60 games last season before dislocating his shoulder while diving for a ball on June 10.

Sanchez had a career year all the way back in 2006 when he won the NL batting title with a .344 average as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He only hit above .300 one other time in his career (2007).

Sanchez was in the news this week after Giants fans managed to push him up to the 2nd spot in the All-Star voting for NL 2nd baseman.