Dodgers place center fielder Andy Pages on injured list after left hand fracture

Injury during Friday matchup

Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages suffered a fractured left hand during the third inning of a home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Bubba Chandler struck Pages with a 100.2 mph fastball on the outer edge of his hand, directly below the pinkie finger. Pages took first base and advanced to third base in the same inning after manager Dave Roberts and an athletic trainer examined him on the field. He continued playing defensively through the fourth inning before leaving the contest. Enrique Hernández entered the game to start the fifth inning as his defensive replacement in center field. Following the game, Pages wore a large wrap on his hand in the clubhouse and remarked in Spanish that he had felt a fastball at 99 mph.

Timetable and medical prognosis

Medical assessments confirmed a left hand fracture for the 25-year-old outfielder, sidelining him for at least four to five weeks. Roberts explained that the injury will not end Pages' season, regardless of whether the player requires surgical intervention to repair the bone. The club intends to evaluate his healing progress over the coming month with the goal of returning him to the active lineup before the regular season concludes.

It's not season-ending because things like (this) are four to five weeks. I would expect him back, knowing him, on the earlier side. It will be four weeks, but there is time in the season for him to be back.

Roster adjustments and outfield depth

On Saturday, the Dodgers formally placed Pages on the 10-day injured list and recalled center fielder Alek Thomas from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The organization acquired the 26-year-old Thomas from the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 12 in exchange for minor leaguer Jose Requena. Thomas, who was drafted by Arizona in the second round of the 2018 draft, batted.181 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 28 games for the Diamondbacks this season before posting an.855 on-base plus slugging percentage with Oklahoma City. Over parts of five MLB seasons, Thomas has compiled a.230 batting average with 31 home runs and 143 RBIs across 448 games. Roberts stated that the team will rotate center field responsibilities between Thomas, Hernández, and Tommy Edman, who started in center during games 6 and 7 of the previous World Series.

Pages' offensive role and Dodgers victory

The injury interrupts Pages' third season in MLB, during which he earned his first All-Star selection and batted third in the lineup. Pages entered the weekend ranking second on the roster with 5.6 Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement, holding a.272 batting average, a.338 on-base percentage, a.458 slugging percentage, and 80 RBIs across 128 games. Across his career, Pages has batted.265 with 61 home runs and 212 RBIs in 400 appearances. The Dodgers completed Friday's game with a 5-4 victory in 10 innings over Pittsburgh, sealed by Edman's walk-off single for their fourth consecutive win.

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.