Los Angeles Angels right fielder Dexter Fowler was involved in a scary play during Friday night’s win over the Toronto Blue Jays. In the second inning, Fowler sprinted to second base to try and keep the inning alive, and did so successfully. However, he landed awkwardly on the bag, causing the game to stop and Fowler to be carted off the field.
Shortly after Fowler exited the game, it was announced that he suffered a knee contusion, putting away potential fears of something worse. Secondary tests can always reveal something more, but the Angels felt confident that his injury was not a long-term issue.
Joe Maddon spoke after the game, saying that Fowler was feeling good and that there likely won’t need to be any roster moves, according to Daniel Guerrero of MLB.com:
“All systems seem pretty good,” Maddon said about Fowler. “I don’t think it’s bad, fortunately.”
The picture may become clearer on Saturday, Maddon said. The early belief is that there won’t need to be a roster move.
“I just spoke with [Fowler] in the hall,” Maddon said during Friday’s postgame media conference. “He’s actually responding very well.”
Again, further testing can always reveal something more, but the optimism from Maddon and Fowler make it appear as though he won’t be out for more than a couple days.
The play in which Fowler got hurt could also be cited as the moment the game’s momentum shifted in the Angels favor. By making it to second base before a throw by Bo Bichette could get there, Fowler kept the two-out rally alive, helping to score a run in the process.
The play after Fowler was removed was a three-run double by Shohei Ohtani, a play that couldn’t have happened if The Angels right fielder had been ruled out. Essentially, Fowler’s hustle and willingness to risk his body gave the Angels four runs and a lead that they would not let go of the rest of the game.
Hopefully on Saturday, Fowler’s injury will remain just a knee contusion and he can be back in them lineup sometime this upcoming week.
Ohtani to skip next scheduled start due to blister
While Maddon and the Angels don’t consider it a long-term problem, they will be holding Ohtani out of his next scheduled start on Sunday because of a blister. They don’t expect it to affect any future starts, but they wanted to be extra cautious this time around.
