Los Angeles Angels first baseman C.J. Cron has a broken left hand and will undergo surgery on Tuesday to mend it.
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Cron to Be Out for 6-8 Weeks
Monday, July 11
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported the news on Cron and supplied the timeline for his return. Cron has hit 11 home runs and 50 RBI this season with a slash line of .278/.333/.475 in 77 games.
The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the Angels’ 9-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles this past Friday when Mike Wright hit him with a pitch.
Although he tried to hang tough and remain in the game, Cron ultimately had to leave the field.
L.A. is already having a tough 2016 campaign, sitting at the bottom of the American League West heading into the All-Star break. Cron’s absence exacerbates the Angels’ issues as they try to salvage a respectable season down the stretch.
Cron was a welcome bright spot on a disappointing club before he got hurt. After batting .303 in June, Cron was off to a hot start in July with a .364 average and a 1.284 OPS.
Pitching has been a primary contributing factor to the Angels’ woes. They rank 22nd in team ERA (4.52) and 28th in opponents’ batting average (.278).
Because of Cron’s lengthy injury-imposed hiatus, L.A.’s offense, headlined by young superstar Mike Trout and legendary hitter Albert Pujols, will have to pick up the slack even more if the Angels’ pitching continues to struggle.
The Angels called up Ji-Man Choi from Triple-A ball when they placed Cron on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday, per MLB.com’s Ben Raby. Choi will likely continue to fill Cron’s position, but if he struggles, the Angels may well turn to their bench for Jefry Marte.
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