The week leading into the All-Star Break is a big one around MLB. This year, it’s an important one for a lot of teams as there are more teams in contention for a playoff berth whether it’s through their division on a Wild Card spot.
The last seven days have been a difficult one for multiple teams with injuries and it puts their buy or sell trade deadline decisions in a very difficult spot. Two players in the National League, one veteran and one young rising star, both put their talents on display with some impressive performances.
With all of that said, let’s fire up the latest Stock Up, Stock Down, and the final one before MLB takes a break for the All-Star Game in Seattle.
Stock Down: Los Angeles Angels injuries and losses piling up at bad time
Throughout the first half of the 2023 season, the Los Angeles Angels have hung around a playoff spot longer than they usually do and have avoided any major injuries. That all changed in the last seven days and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
In six games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, they went 1-5, were swept by the Padres, and have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games. To compound matters, they have lost All-Star outfielder Mike Trout for four to eight weeks after getting injured fouling a pitch off of his wrist, which caused him to undergo surgery on his left hand after a fracture of his hamate bone.
To matters even more worse, one night later on July 4, Shohei Ohtani was lifted in the middle of his start against the Padres with a reoccurring fingernail and blister problem on his right hand, and Anthony Rendon left after fouling a ball off of his leg. Ohtani returned to the lineup the next day as the DH, but Rendon missed the series final after X-rays were negative.
Missing Trout is going to be a big blow to Los Angeles and could very well extend their nine-year postseason drought.