Angels third baseman, David Freese exited the game in the fourth inning of Wednesday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins, after being drilled in the hand by Twins starter, Mike Pelfrey. During the game, Freese received x-rays on his hand, and they came back positive, as he suffered a non-displaced fracture on his right index finger.
He was seen wearing a splint on his finger after the game, and will wear that for two weeks before being re-evaluated. The timetable is not yet known at this point, but they are hoping it is similar to last season when he was on the DL for 18 days with a similar injury.
Freese will be placed on the Disabled List on Thursday, with a corresponding move to be made shortly after. It is expected that left-handed third base prospect, Kyle Kubitza will be recalled to fill the void. Kubitza is hitting .276, with a .346 on-base percentage, to along with five home runs and 33 RBI’S this season at Triple-A Salt Lake. Other candidates are Kaleb Cowart, who has revived his career in triple A, but is unlikely to be called up.
The Angels hope that Kubitza can man the hot corner in the interim, but they will also search the market for a more long-term solution at third base if needed. Kubitza was acquired in the off-season from the Atlanta Braves in hopes of becoming the Angels 2016 third baseman, so the Angels will likely give him a shot before looking elsewhere. Despite being winners of seven in a row, the Angels have also being looking for a left fielder, who can lead-off or hit in the middle of the order. This recent injury might force the Angels hand a bit, as they look to add the missing pieces for the stretch run in hopes of making the playoffs.