The Los Angeles Angels are trying to keep it together after losing three of their biggest stars to injury this week. One day after Mike Trout was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamate fracture, the team saw Anthony Rendon and Shohei Ohtani leave early in a Fourth of July matchup against the San Diego Padres.
Rendon sustained a left shin bruise after fouling a ball off his left leg and is expected to join Trout on the IL. As for Ohtani, he was removed from his start after throwing five innings due to a cracked fingernail/blister issue.
The aforementioned players join the likes of Brandon Drury, Zach Neto and Gio Urshela, who were also lost to injury in recent weeks. L.A. has been without Logan O’Hoppe and Max Stassi for most of the season as well.
Angels manager Phil Nevin called on his players to carry the load while the others are out, per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group:
“Nobody’s gonna feel sorry for us,” Manager Phil Nevin said before Tuesday’s 8-5 loss to the Padres. “We’re certainly not. We’re gonna go out and attack each day. It’s time for some guys to step up. There are other guys that are going to get some opportunities. That’s what this game is all about.”
Nevin said the Angels have dealt with adversity before and doesn’t expect to get sympathy from the rest of the league:
“I think everybody in there knows you’re gonna have bumps in the road here once in a while,” Nevin said. “We’ve had some guys go down. We’ve had that motto since the beginning of the season: It’s the next man up. We keep playing. No one’s gonna feel sorry for us. No reason for us to do the same.”
As Nevin noted, the stockpile of injuries has created opportunities for other players to prove their worth and help keep the team afloat during the second half of the season.
The Angels enter play Thursday at 45-44 and are four games out of a Wild Card spot in the American League. How the team performs this month will dictate their direction at the MLB trade deadline and whether they have a realistic chance of advancing to the postseason for the first time since 2014.
Angels’ plans without Mike Trout
Trout will likely be sidelined for 4-8 weeks, which means Mickey Moniak is going to take on the bulk of reps in center field. Jo Adell, who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake as the corresponding move to Trout going on the IL, could additionally see some time in center field.
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