Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward, 30, who was taken to the hospital after being hit by a sand dune in the head, has been diagnosed with a fracture.
“Ward has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a facial fracture,” the Angels announced on Thursday (Jan. 31).
Ward was struck in the face by a 91.7-mph sinker from starter Alec Manoa in the top of the fifth inning against Toronto the day before. His face was bleeding and his left eye appeared swollen. He received first aid and was carted off the field.
He was later examined and diagnosed with a facial fracture. He will need surgery.
“We don’t know when he’ll be back,” said head coach Phil Nevin.
“It was the worst moment ever,” said Manoa, who was in pain after the dune, “I want to pray for Ward and his family, it’s really painful. I’ll keep checking in with him to see how he recovers.”
Ward was batting .253 (90-for-356) with 14 homers and 47 RBIs this season. In his last 15 games, he is batting .309 (17-for-55) with a .418 on-base percentage.바카라사이트
The Angels recently bolstered their lineup with a trade, signaling their intent to challenge for the postseason. With Shohei Ohtani on the roster, it was hard to pass up fall baseball. However, Ward’s injury has created an emergency for the team, and filling his void will be a major challenge.
The Angels called up infielder Kevin Padlo to fill Ward’s void. In 55 games at Triple-A, Padlo was batting .254 with eight home runs, 31 RBIs, a .378 on-base percentage, and a .456 slugging percentage.