June Mar Fajardo Discloses Slight Tear in Injured Calf

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The cornerstone of the San Miguel Beermen franchise just revealed a major update on the calf injury he suffered when the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals kicked off.

According to June Mar Fajardo, ultrasound results on his injured calf worsened into a slight tear, but the PBA’s only eight-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) is optimistic that he can finish the series against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.

Fajardo suffered the calf injury in Game 1, where they conceded a tough two-point defeat to Ginebra, 73-71, on June 25, 2025.

His hobbled state was a huge factor in the Beermen’s end-game performance after the Gin Kings completed an 18-point comeback to draw first blood in the series.

With an injured calf limiting his movements down the post, Fajardo was forced to play only 17 minutes in Game 2, where they won by a huge margin, 100-83.

Despite the minutes restriction, Fajardo’s playing time was extended to 27 minutes in Game 3 where they figured in a mano-a-mano showdown. It was still anybody’s ball game until RJ Abarrientos and the rest of the Gin Kings caught fire in the last four minutes to run away with a series-leading 100-90 dub.

Without Fajardo manning the middle, San Miguel head coach Leo Austria fielded in Rodney Brondial and Moala Tautuaa, but the Cebuano’s offensive threat was badly missed as they relied on their perimeter slashing courtesy of CJ Perez, Don Trollano, and Jericho Cruz.

As of now, the San Miguel medical staff is yet to reveal if they will revert Fajardo to his usual playing time of 35 minutes per game in a must-win Game 4.

If the Beermen lose Game 4, they will enter a difficult 1-3 hole and couldn’t afford to take missteps especially against a Tim Cone-led Ginebra squad.

“May parang cramping tapos kaunting tear. Pero ok naman. Nagta-tight lang siya,” Fajardo revealed during his post-game press conference interview.