The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost their center fielder for most of the rest of the regular season. All-Star Andy Pages suffered a broken bone in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch Friday night (LA 5, PIT 4 in 10 innings), the team announced. He is expected to miss four weeks.
It is unclear if Pages needs surgery, and what that would mean for his timetable. "I would expect him back. Knowing him, on the earlier side," manager Dave Roberts said (via MLB.com).
"There's still time in the season for him to be back. But I feel for him because he was having such a good year and he likes to play. But yeah, we've got to move on and hold down the fort until he's back." Pages was in visible pain and was checked on by the trainer after being hit by the pitch, though he remained in the game to run the bases.
He also played defense in the next half-inning before being removed. Here's the injury: Center fielder Alek Thomas will be called up to fill the roster spot, reports The Athletic. Super utility men Enrique Hernández and Tommy Edman are also center field options, though Hernández turns 35 on Monday and Edman missed the start of this season following ankle surgery.
The Dodgers may not want either of them to spend much time running around the outfield. Pages, 25, broke out last season and has taken another step forward this year. He's hitting .272/.338/.458 with 21 home runs, which earned him a trip to the All-Star Game last month.
Pages has also become a very good defensive center fielder. He's top 10 among all outfielders, not just center fielders, in both defensive runs saved and outs above average. For all their star power, Pages has emerged as the Dodgers' top right-handed hitter, and he provides important lineup balance for an offense that typically leans left-handed.
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