Trout to i.l. with hamate fracture

The Anaheim Angels announced today that outfielder Mike Trout has been placed on the injured list due to a fractured hamate. Trout suggested the injury last night during an at bat, and left the game at the time. He’s been replaced by Jo Adell on the active roster.

This is a big loss for the Angels — while Mike Trout hasn’t been “best player in baseball Mike Trout” this season, he’s still a well above average player on a rather top-heavy team that is trying to earn a playoff spot on Shohei Ohtani’s walk year. The Angels are currently 45-42, three games back of a Wild Card spot.

This sort of injury usually takes 4-6 weeks to return from, though even then a player’s power may not return right away. With Trout likely not returning until after the trade deadline, this complicates the decisions the Angels front office has to make in deciding whether to buy or sell this month.