Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb Sunday during his team’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He will require surgery, and it’s uncertain when he will be able to return to action.
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Simmons to Undergo Surgery
Monday, May 9
The Angels announced Simmons suffered “a full thickness tear of the ulnar collateral ligament” in his left thumb and will need to go under the knife.
The rehab for a surgery of this nature is “typically” six to eight weeks, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
Simmons’ Absence Will Impact Angels Defense
The Angels acquired Simmons in November as the Atlanta Braves entered rebuild mode, and the move was a major win for a club that needed an upgrade at shortstop.
One of the league’s premier defensive players, Simmons posted 5.4 defensive wins above replacement in 2013 before that number dipped slightly to 3.9 in 2014 and 3.5 last year.
And while he’s never been a power hitter, Simmons established himself as a solid contributor by batting .256 with a .304 on-base percentage, 31 home runs and 168 RBI over his first four seasons in the majors.
Thus far in his first season with the Angels, Simmons is batting .219 with one home run and eight RBI. He’s also tallied a dWAR rating of 1.0.
“You want to be productive, whatever it is,” Simmons said during spring training, according to the Los Angeles Times‘ Pedro Moura. “You want to move the guy over when you have to. You want to come up with a big hit.”
With Simmons on the shelf, utility man Cliff Pennington projects as his primary replacement at shortstop.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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