Padres outfielder Tommy Pham has been diagnosed with a broken hamate bone in his hand, manager Jayce Tingler said in an appearance with Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link). He’ll head to the injured list, with Josh Naylor coming up from the alternate training site to replace him on the roster.
Surgery is often required when a player breaks the hook of the hamate bone, as Pham apparently has done. The injury was sustained in yesterday’s game when Pham fouled a pitch back. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune reported last night that Pham’s hamb “went numb” as soon as he fouled that pitch back, adding that the organization was fearful of this very injury. If Pham does require surgery, it’ll very likely put an end to his 2020 season.
The 32-year-old Pham has gotten out to a slow start at the plate, hitting just .207/.316/.293 through 95 plate appearances. To Pham’s credit, evenn though he hasn’t been hitting for average or power, he’s still drawn a dozen walks and leads the league with six stolen bases (in six tries).
With Pham sidelined perhaps for the entire season, San Diego will now lean more heavily on Naylor for production while opening some playing time for Edward Olivares, Jorge Mateo and perhaps Jurickson Profar (now that Jake Cronenworth has taken over second base duties on a regular basis). Veteran Abraham Almonte remains on hand at the team’s alternate training site, and if the club wants to go with a higher-upside option, top prospect Taylor Trammell is also at the alternate site and awaiting his first call to the big leagues. He’d need to be added to the 40-man roster, but such a move could eventually be on the horizon depending on how the current options fare in Pham’s absence.
The Padres still control Pham through the 2021 season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the third and final time this winter.
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