Under The Knife 7/5/23

Trout Out, Ohtani Cracked, Kershaw Inflamed, LA is Burning

No one wants to read my introductory ramblings right now. Readers want to know about:

MIKE TROUT, OF LAA (fractured wrist)
SHOHEI OHTANI, DH/SP LAA (cracked fingernail)

As expected, Mike Trout was diagnosed with a fractured hamate bone, after multiple scans confirmed the diagnosis most expected. (Did the Angels know last night after X-rays? No one would confirm this, but I’m curious if the beats there will get an answer.) This is a common baseball injury, created by an excess of force and positioning with one of the small bones of the wrist.

If you want more details on what this means, yesterday’s UTK Flash is going to give you all the information you’ll need, unless you’re the one doing the surgery. Yes, surgery to remove the hook is expected and I would not be surprised if it happened very quickly. You’ll have to go to YouTube if you want to see an example of the surgery, since they have it age-locked. There’s simply no way to replace Trout during his four to six week absence, but Jo Adell is a familiar face that has shown some power this year in the minors.

If that’s not bad enough, Shohei Ohtani has a pitching problem. A cracked fingernail pushed back his Monday start by a day, though it apparently has no effect on him at the plate. While the issue wasn’t considered serious at all, it did juggle the rotation a bit and took Ohtani off his rigorous schedule. Then, as he took the mound Tuesday, he clearly wasn’t himself and left with what the Angels called a blister on the same finger. It’s unclear if this is additional, but appears to be the case. With the ASB upcoming and Ohtani expected to be a major showcase, there’s no way he will pitch, but he could still hit if it remains unproblematic with swings.

Finally, add in Anthony Rendon once again hurting himself. He fouled a ball off his shin and left the game for x-rays. Said to be negative, Rendon is at best bruised and waiting to see when the pain and inflammation will clear, allowing him back on the field. A source tells me there’s no indication this is anything more, but this still feels like problems stacked on problems and even the most minor injury to Rendon adds to the narrative that he can’t stay healthy.

With Trout’s injury, one has to wonder how it affects the calculations Perry Minasian is going through. Does this lead him to walk down the hall to Arte Moreno and say “we’ve got to re-sign Ohtani now or we’ve got to trade him before the deadline”? A monster contract would be one way to distract Angels fans, but already three games back for the last expanded wild card slot, someone just hit the incline button on the Angels’ treadmill.

CLAYTON KERSHAW, SP LAD (inflamed shoulder)
DUSTIN MAY, SP LAD (strained forearm)