Angels place three-time MVP on injured list

The Los Angeles Angels are trying to hang around in the American League playoff race but that task got a lot tougher on Tuesday due to a major injury to one of their best players.

Mike Trout suffered a fracture of the hamate bone in his left hand on Monday, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reported. The injury is going to sideline him for several weeks. 

Trout was apparently injured Monday while fouling off a pitch from San Diego's Nick Martinez when he led off the eighth inning and was in immediate discomfort. He underwent X-rays on Tuesday that revealed the nature of the injury. He is going on the 10-day IL but is expected to miss several weeks.

This is a potentially devastating injury for an Angels team that entered play on Tuesday three games out of a wild card spot in the American League. 

Trout is not only one of their best players, he is one of the top players in all of Major League Baseball and is having another sensational year. 

He is hitting .263 with an .862 OPS through his first 81 games. While those numbers are a step below what he normally does, they are still excellent and make him a prominent part of the Angels' lineup. 

Without him even more of the pressure is going to fall on Shohei Ohtani to carry the offense.

Ohtani is having an historic season and leading the major leagues in several hitting categories, but there is only so much one player can do. Even a dominant two-way player like Ohtani needs some help.

It also might increase trade chatter around Ohtani. If Trout's injury impacts the Angels on the field and causes them to slide further out of playoff contention, it could push the team to explore trade options for Ohtani as he nears free agency with no long-term contract extension in place.

The Angels have been something of a marvel the past few years by having arguably the two best players in baseball and never being able to build a team around them to get them in the playoffs. The one year they finally get close to that just so happens to be a year where Ohtani might leave and Trout has to deal with a major injury that could seriously disrupt his season. 

Hamate bone injuries are not easy to come back from, and even when Trout does return there is a very strong chance he will not be as productive as he was before it.