A left hamate fracture is placing Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout on the 10-day injured list and establishing a big question mark about if the Angels can maintain a run to the postseason and potentially convince Shohei Ohtani to stay in Anaheim if they fall out of contention.
Trout suffered the injury in Monday night’s series opener between the Angels and San Diego Padres at Petco Park. He left the Angels’ eventual loss in the eighth inning after fouling a pitch back from Padres reliever Nick Martinez.
Mike Trout exits the game after an apparent injury during his 8th inning at bat. pic.twitter.com/s0xSfpVQ3j
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 4, 2023
After the game, Trout told reporters, “I can’t really describe the pain I felt. I’ve never felt that pain ever. I’ve never had wrist problems or anything. Just a freak thing.”
Unfortunately, that pain would be the result of the fractured hamate bone. While there is no official timeline for a Trout return to the Angels lineup, there is no doubt that Trout will be unavailable to play in next week’s All-Star Game in Seattle. It will mark the third consecutive Midsummer Classic that Trout has missed because of an injury.
Based on the timelines for other players to return to action after a hamate fracture, it could be a six-week absence for Trout, meaning mid-August could be a best case scenario to see him back on the field.
Will Mike Trout’s injury set in motion the end of Shohei Ohtani with the Los Angeles Angels?
If (and that’s a big if) that timeline is accurate, the Angels will already be past the trade deadline. Entering July 4 action at 45-42 and 6.0 games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West race and 3.0 games back in the AL Wild Card race, Trout’s absence will likely be a big blow to L.A.’s hopes to reach the postseason.
Should the Angels fall out of postseason contention, it could also seal the fate for Ohtani in an Angels uniform. While all signs point to the two-way Japanese superstar landing with another team in free agency after the season is over, the Angels had hoped that a postseason run could be a way to convince Ohtani to stay with the franchise.
Could Trout’s injury cause an Angels nosedive that could also be the final straw in Ohtani’s decision? It’s all a possibility as Los Angeles faces a very uncertain near future (and potentially beyond) without Trout in the lineup.