Angels put Mike Trout on IL, then see Ohtani, Rendon exit

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Friday, July 7, 2023

Hours after placing All-Star outfielder Mike Trout on the 10-day injured list with a broken left wrist, the Los Angeles Angels saw their run of bad injury luck continue in Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres.



Third baseman Anthony Rendon was removed from the Angels' 8-5 loss in the fourth inning after fouling a ball off his leg; the team said he has a left shin contusion and that X-rays were negative. Then, two-way star Shohei Ohtani departed with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand after giving up consecutive home runs to Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth with none out in the sixth inning. He allowed five runs and seven hits, struck out five and walked four.




Ohtani -- who became a two-way All-Star for the third straight year when he was picked for the American League pitching staff by players on Sunday, 10 days after fans voted him to start at designated hitter -- said he doesn't expect to pitch in the July 11 showcase in Seattle.



"It's going to be pretty tough. As of now, I'm planning on not pitching," Ohtani said through an interpreter.



He could still play a significant role if he is healthy enough to remain the starting designated hitter.



When Ohtani's spot in the lineup at DH came up in the ninth on Tuesday, pinch-hitter Jo Adellbatted.



"When I came out of the game, I was kind of in the moment, so we will see about going forward the next few days," Ohtani said. "On the pitching side, I have like nine, 10 days until the next start, so hopefully I will heal in time."



The right-hander's start had been pushed back a day due to a cracked nail, the same finger on which he developed the blister. His velocity was down Tuesday, and he left trailing 5-1.



"It was hard for me to put full pressure on it," Ohtani said.



He left his previous start as a pitcher but remained in the game as the DH and homered, finishing with 10 strikeouts and two home runs in a 4-2 win over the Chicago White Soxon June 27.




"It's my understanding they put an acrylic nail on there because of where it was cracked and it might have just irritated the skin on the side of the finger," Angels manager Phil Nevin said. "It felt like he just didn't have command of his pitches going into the sixth and we talked about it and he felt good and warmed up and he gave me a thumbs up."



Asked if the blister would hamper Ohtani's ability to bat, Nevin said: "I don't think so. It's just the tip of the middle finger, and I think he's going to be OK."



Rendon was on crutches after Tuesday's game and indicated he was still in a lot of pain. Asked if he expects to go on the injured list, Rendon said he will know more Wednesday but "it's not looking good."



The Angels will already be without Trout for several weeks. The three-time AL MVP said he anticipates returning this season despite a broken hamate bone suffered when he fouled off a pitch Monday night.



"Of course," Trout said Tuesday, a few hours after the Angels announced he had been placed on the injured list. "I've had other guys reach out who've had this surgery before or had this injury before. I don't know if it's going to need surgery or not. We'll know in the next couple of days, I guess. Some guys came back in four weeks; some guys take a little longer just to see how their body heals."



Trout fouled off an 0-1 pitch from Nick Martinez leading off the eighth inning Monday and immediately shook his left arm. Nevin and an athletic trainer came out to check on him, and Trout left the game.



"I kind of knew it wasn't good. It's another freak thing," Trout said. "It's nothing crazy serious, so obviously I'm going to miss a little bit of time, but it's not season-ending."



Trout was selected to his 11th All-Star team Sunday and 10th straight as a starter. He is hitting .263 with 18 home runs and 44 RBIs.




He said he had been feeling well before the injury and that it will be tough to miss the All-Star Game.



"I was really looking forward to it," Trout said. "It's frustrating."



Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker will replace Trout on the AL roster.



Speaking to reporters before Tuesday's game, Nevin said the team was going to get one more medical opinion on Trout's wrist but that "usually these things need to be fixed."



"To be quite honest," the manager continued, "when I went out there, I kind of had an idea. I've had players before that have done this, the feelings he had.



"When you feel something go or anything like that, you worry about a lot of things, but thankfully it's a bone. It's not a ligament or anything like that. Guys have come back from this and did fine and played. Mike will be back with us at some point this year. I know he's hungry. I also know he's hurting too. It's tough to see."



Nevin said Mickey Moniak and Adellwill fill in for Trout in center field. Adell was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, along with right-hander Gerardo Reyes. Moniak, whogrew up in northern San Diego County and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, started Tuesday against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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