Monday night’s loss to the Seattle Mariners was anything but normal for the Los Angeles Angels. Defensive miscues, odd replay reviews, and errant foul balls defined a 6-2 defeat, and now David Fletcher and Jo Adell may be forced to miss some time.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Fletcher fouled a ball off his foot. He would finish the at-bat — and even net himself a single — but was removed from the game prior to his next appearance due to a foot contusion. Then, in the final at-bat of the game, Adell was hit on the thumb while swinging at a 1-2 pitch.
He fouled the ball off, but umpires ruled that because it hit his thumb, it was strike three and not a foul ball, ending the game.
Both were taken for X-rays after the game, and while there doesn’t appear to be any worrisome damage, it’s possible that both miss time, according to Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
Adell ended up going for X-rays, which were negative, although Nevin said he’s not sure he’ll be able to play on Tuesday. The same was true for David Fletcher, who left the game after he fouled a ball off his left foot. X-rays of Fletcher’s foot were also negative.
Hopefully, neither player has to miss more than 1-2 games. The negative x-rays are absolutely a great sign that neither will need a stint on the injured list, but nothing is guaranteed until the players are back on the field.
It would be particularly frustrating if Fletcher had to miss any amount of time given the way he’s been playing since returning from hip surgery earlier this season. Since July 28, Fletcher is slashing .359/.382/.528 for a .910 OPS. Although it’s a small sample size, he looks like the player the Angels had from 2018-2020.
Meanwhile, Adell missing time on such a freak play would be disappointing. With injuries to Mike Trout and Mickey Moniak — and the trade of Brandon Marsh — Adell was primed for an every day starting opportunity. Losing even 1-2 days of that can be a huge momentum killer.
Fletcher’s resurgence catching Phil Nevin’s attention
Angels interim manager Phil Nevin had plenty to say about the impact that Fletcher has had since returning from injury. Nevin believes that when Fletcher is at his best, he is the perfect complement to Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon.
