The plug was pulled on the Mike Trout-Shohei Ohtani Show – and it might only return for a limited engagement.
Trout suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand and was placed on the injured list Tuesday, the Los Angeles Angels announced, an injury that typically requires six to eight weeks of recovery.
Trout broke his hamate – or “hook” bone – on a swing Monday night against the San Diego Padres. A hamate fracture occurs fairly often among hitters and there’s little long-term structural damage.
But the broken bone needs to be removed surgically, a process that will sideline Trout for the remainder of July, and perhaps all of August.
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“I’ve never felt that pain, ever,” Trout told reporters in San Diego on Monday night. “Just a freak thing.”
The news comes at a particularly grim time for the Angels (45-42), who remain firmly in the American League wild card race and are six games back of the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead.
Trout also will miss the All-Star Game, perhaps his final Midsummer Classic alongside Ohtani, the two-way superstar who leads the majors in home runs and can become a free agent after the season. The Angels already were expected to be underdogs, at best, to retain Ohtani, but playing more than a month without Trout will make it difficult to sustain a contending team.
Ohtani left the mound in Tuesday’s start because of a blister on his right middle finger. Anthony Rendon also left the game with a bruised shin after fouling a pitch off his leg, though X-rays were negative.
Trout, 31, the three-time MVP, was voted to start the All-Star Game and is batting .263 with 18 home runs and an .862 OPS.
Major League Baseball announced that Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker will replace Trout on the All-Star roster.
The Angels recalled outfielder Jo Adell to replace Trout on the roster.