Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout suffered a fracture of the hamate bone in his left hand during Monday's game against the San Diego Padres (SD 10, LA 3), the Angels announced. Trout suffered the injury when he fouled back an 0-1 pitch from Nick Martinez in the seventh inning. Trout on Wednesday underwent surgery to address the injury, and, according to manager Phil Nevin, he's expected to miss between four and eight weeks, which is the standard timeline for recovery.
Here is the injury:
Trout, 31, is currently hitting .263/.369/.493 (135 OPS+) with 18 home runs, 44 RBI, and two stolen bases in his first 80 games. Those marks may be below Trout's otherworldly norms, but his contributions had still been worth an estimated 2.9 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations.
The Angels came into Wednesday at 45-43, third in the AL West. The Angels trailed the division-leading Texas Rangers by seven games, and were also four games back in the race for the last AL wild card spot. Needless to say, losing Trout for an extending period of time is a devastating blow to the team's postseason hopes. They currently have only a 8.4% chance to make the playoffs, per Sportsline.
In addition to Trout, the Angels are without several other key contributors. Starting catcher Logan O'Hoppe, shortstop Zach Neto, and infielders Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury are each on the injured list. Pitchers José Suarez, Ben Joyce, and Matt Moore also remain unavailable.
Trout's injury came a day after he was chosen to his 11th career All-Star Game. The Angels summoned former top prospect Jo Adell to replace Trout on the roster.
