Good morning, I’m Kevin Sweeney. We’re back from the holiday weekend with big news in Major League Baseball.
In today’s SI:AM:
⚾ Trout’s Injury Shakes Up Angels
Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports
Trout’s injury crushes Angels’ hopes
The Angels’ playoff hopes were dealt a massive blow Tuesday when it was announced that star outfielder Mike Trout was headed to the injured list with a left hamate bone fracture. The injury is expected to keep Trout sidelined until September.
The injury, which Trout called “a freak thing,” happened on a swing during Monday’s game against the Padres. He’s expected to require surgery, per The Athletic but does fully intend on returning this season.
The timing here is terrible for the Angels. They’re already teetering on the brink of postseason contention, seven games back in the AL West and four behind the last wild card in the American League. They’ve won just four of their last 14 games and have two games against the Dodgers leading into the All-Star break this weekend. Plus, Trout appeared to be turning a corner at the plate lately after a slow (relative to his lofty standards) start to the season, hitting .333 in his last 15 games with four home runs.
All this is happening with less than a month to go before what could be a franchise-altering trade deadline for the Angels. Shohei Ohtani’s looming free agency this winter and the prospect of the two-way star landing a record-setting contract makes it vital that Angels find their way into the playoffs this season. They’ve already made multiple win-now moves this year, haven’t made the postseason since signing Ohtani in 2018 and don’t seem overly likely to retain him if they can’t put a winning team on the field.
But is pushing all the chips in for a playoff run while not having Trout for much of the remainder of the season the right way to go? And to make matters worse, Ohtani left his start early Tuesday due to a blister, while Anthony Rendon left the game after fouling a ball off his leg. An already-slumping team catching the injury bug is a recipe for disaster. Could that turn the Angels into trade-deadline sellers? There doesn’t appear to be much appetite for dealing Ohtani, but should the wheels fall off in July it could be worth considering.
Unfortunately, it’s yet another season disrupted by injury for Trout. He played 119 games a season ago after dealing with back spasms, and in 2021 he was limited to just 36 games due to a torn calf muscle. His healthiest season since Ohtani arrived in Los Angeles was in ’18, but even in that year he made a trip to the IL due to wrist inflammation.
The next few weeks will determine so much about the Angels’ future. And with Trout on the sidelines, they just got even trickier.
The best of Sports Illustrated
Bruce Cotler/IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
- What’s it like to lose to Joey Chestnut? Emma Baccellieri talked to some of the world’s best eaters in the wake of a 16th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest championship in 17 years for the legendary champion.
- NBA free agency is in full swing, and, while some big dominos are still to come, Chris Herring broke down some underrated additions that could tilt the scales in the Eastern Conference next season.
- The latest in SI’s NFL preview series showcases the Dolphins, who have high hopes to contend in the AFC if Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy.
- There’s a case to be made that Shohei Ohtani’s two-way dominance in June was the greatest individual month in baseball history. Baccellieri lays out the case.
- Who’s in the best position to make an all-in move to land Damian Lillard? The Heat, Clippers and 76ers top the list, according to Herring.
The top five…
Things I saw during the long weekend…
5. Ronald Acuña Jr. making history
4. This monster home run from Francisco Alvarez
3. Chet Holmgren’s return to the floor at NBA Summer League
2. Elly De La Cruz’s July 4 drip
1. Joey Chestnut saving the hot dog eating contest himself
SIQ
On this day in 1991, MLB owners approved expansion franchises in Denver and Miami to begin play in ’93. Which of the following cities was not among the other finalists?
- Buffalo
- Nashville
- Orlando
- Tampa
Friday’s SIQ: The newly relocated Colorado Rockies NHL team announced on this day in 1982 that their new nickname would be the New Jersey Devils. Which other name did owner John McMullen prefer?
- Blades
- Colonials
- Meadowlanders
- Jaguars
Answer: Meadowlanders. It makes sense, because the team played at the Brendan Byrne Arena in a swampy area of North Jersey known as the Meadowlands, but it’s not a great nickname.
As popular as the Devils’ name was with the 10,000 fans who participated in a “Name That Team” contest, McMullen was hesitant “because of phone calls objecting to it on religious grounds,” The New York Times reported. (This was at the beginning of the “Satanic panic.”)
McMullen had preferred Meadowlanders as the team name ever since he bought the team, telling the Times that he favored it “but that’s not too popular with the rest of my family.”
The other names that the franchise considered were Americans, Blades, Colonials, Lightning, Meadowlarks, Coastals, Generals, Gulls, Jaguars and Patriots. —Dan Gartland
