San Miguel Beer center June Mar Fajardo is out for a couple of weeks after undergoing a surgery on his throat on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Fajardo is set to miss a couple of games for the Beermen in the 2022 Philippine Cup starting their much-anticipated collision with Bay Area Dragons on Sunday, Oct. 16.
The six-time MVP and 2022 Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference awardee underwent a procedure to repair a laryngeal fracture he sustained after being on the receiving end of an inadvertent elbow from Rain or Shine import Steve Taylor Jr.
Still, Fajardo managed to play through the injury and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists including timely hits down the stretch to tow the Beermen to a 113-105 victory over the Elasto Painters.
According to team officials, Fajardo, who is still prohibited to talk and is on a liquid diet, is likely to be out six to eight weeks due to the injury.
With SMB main man out, Beermen import Diamond Stone, who came as a replacement for original choice Thomas Robinson, will be put under the microscope in the next few games especially that SMB will be on a hectic schedule playing five games over a two week span until Oct. 29.
Also expected to share the load for the Philippine Cup champions are the slew of big men led by Mo Tautuaa along with Rodney Brondial and Vic Manuel.