Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand during Monday’s game against the San Diego Padres (SD 10, LA 3). angels announce, Trout suffered the injury when he fouled out on an 0–1 pitch by Nick Martinez in the seventh inning. Surgery is usually required for Hammett fractures – trout will probably have to go through a process — and come with 3-7 weeks of recovery.
Trout was subsequently replaced in the lineup by former No. 1 pick Mickey Moniak. Moniak later struck out to end the at-bat. Here is the injury:
The 31-year-old Trout entered Monday hitting .260/.365/.493 (134 OPS+) with 18 home runs, 43 RBI and two stolen bases in his first 80 games. Those points may have fallen short of Trout’s superhuman standards, but his contribution was still equivalent to an estimated 2.9 wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations.
The Angels moved to 45–42 on Tuesday, in third place in the AL West. The Angels were six games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers, and also three games behind in the race for the final AL wild card spot. Needless to say, losing Trout for a long time dealt a devastating blow to the team’s post-season hopes. According to Sportsline, they currently only have a 12.5% chance of making the playoffs.
Besides Trout, the Angels don’t have many other major contributors. Starting catcher Logan O’Hoppe, shortstop Zach Neto, and infielders Geo Urschella and Brandon Drury are each on the injured list. Pitchers Jose Suarez, Ben Joyce and Matt Moore are also unavailable.
Trout’s injury came a day after he was selected to his 11th career All-Star Game. The Angels called up former top prospect Joe Edell to replace Trout on the roster.