Mike Trout placed on injured list with broken hamate bone
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.”
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.
