The Los Angeles Angels got the worst possible news on Thursday after finding out that the leg injury suffered by their second baseman Tommy La Stella turned out to be a fractured tibia in his right leg.
La Stella suffered a leg injury that forced him out of the Angels’ Tuesday night win at Globe Life Park in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. While batting in the sixth inning with the bases loaded against Texas reliever José Leclerc, La Stella fouled a ball off of his right shin and collapsed to the ground in considerable pain. He was removed from the game.
While the team originally described the injury as a right shin contusion, further testing revealed that the All-Star second baseman had actually suffered a fractured shin bone.
The move is a tough blow for the 44-44 Angels, who remain on the outside fringes of the Wild Card race, 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians. La Stella has been one of their best players this season, posting a .300/.353/.495 batting line with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs. His strong performance led to him being named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Now, La Stella will undergo an eight to ten week rehab period, which should have him on track to rejoin the team near the end of the season.
