Los Angeles Angels right-back Dexter Fowler has a broken left ACL that will require end-of-season surgery, the team announced Sunday.
Fowler, 35, was injured while running in second base on a forced attempt in Friday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida. Fowler overcame the throw from the short film Blue Jays Bo Bichette and did not slip, causing him to arrive awkward and fall to the ground in pain.
Angels initially diagnosed Fowler with a sprained left knee, but a subsequent MRI showed that it was much more serious. The team said Fowler will need six to nine months to recover from the operation.
The manager of the Angels, Joe Maddon, has stated that he intends to replace Fowler with Juan Lagares and Jose Rojas, the latter of whom is currently serving as an infielder. Rojas started on Sunday at third base in place of Anthony Rendon, who was dealing with pain in his left groin area, resulting from a throw on Saturday.
Fowler, purchased from St. The Louis Cardinals in early February were 5-for-20 with six hits to start the 2021 season and have hit .218 / .320 / .370 in the past three years. But Maddon, who previously led Fowler with the Chicago Cubs, said he thought the outfielder was just starting to go offensive and would miss his presence on the team.
“He’s one of those glues guys, man,” Maddon said. “It really makes a difference. It does. You talk about it all the time with the guys in the club, but this guy really is one.”
Fowler’s injury creates an immediate opening for the two most promising young Angels players, Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh, both working at the team’s alternate spot in Tempe, Arizona, before the minor league season begins. Adell struggled as a rookie last year, and Marsh still hasn’t played more than Double-A after spending the 2020 season shortened by the coronavirus, playing mostly intrasquad games.
Maddon said he will be deferring to minor league development staff when Adell and Marsh are ready for the major league.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that they have tightened their game [from spring training] to the point where you still want to bring them up, “Maddon said.