It’s bad news for Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels, as the outfielder is headed to the 10-day injured list after X-rays showed a broken hamate bone in his left wrist.
Trout’s injury happened Monday against the San Diego Padres. After fouling off an 0-1 pitch from reliever Nick Martinez in the eighth inning, Trout grimaced and shook his left wrist. After a quick examination from an athletic trainer, Trout didn’t finish the at-bat and left the game.
Rough scene for the Angels in San Diego. Mike Trout leaves the game in the eighth inning after getting hurt on what looked like a routine foul ball. pic.twitter.com/rnAbVVj7NR
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) July 4, 2023
Trout injured his wrist on the swing itself and wasn’t hit by the baseball. Despite being a non-contact injury, he said after the game that he’d never felt pain like that before.
“I can’t describe the pain I felt,” he said via the Associated Press. “I never felt it before, ever, before this. I never had wrist problems or anything. Just freak things.”
The Angels (45-42) lost 10-3.
Trout spoke to the media Tuesday and confirmed that he plans to return this season. Recovering from surgery, which Trout might need, will take 4-8 weeks.
Mike Trout said “of course” he plans to return this season. He will likely need surgery.
He said it was a freak injury that doctors told him couldn’t be prevented. Felt no soreness or anything before the swing.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) July 4, 2023
This is a very poorly timed injury for the Angels, as they’re in the midst of a postseason race right now. They’re six games behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the American League West and just three games out of the AL wild-card picture.
This is not a great time for them to be missing one of their best players for 4-8 weeks, which is the typical recovery time. That means a very rusty Trout could return to the Angels by mid-September, by which time the standings might have changed significantly.
On Sunday, Trout was named an American League All-Star starter, along with teammate Shohei Ohtani. He will be replaced at the All-Star Game by another player, making it the third straight All-Star Game that Trout has missed due to injury.
