clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Mike Moustakas to the 15-day disabled list with left thumb fracture

Bad news moose.

By Matthew LaMar
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Moustakas has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left thumb fracture. This move is retroactive to Thursday, May 5. Moustakas was originally supposed to be in the starting lineup for Friday night's game against Cleveland but was a late scratch. He also sat for Tuesday's game against Washington, although he did appear as a pinch-hitter and had the game-tying hit. He started the next afternoon.

Moustakas was leading the team in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and was second in adjusted runs created behind Eric Hosmer. He was hitting .258/.314/.536 with a team-high seven home runs in 25 games. Moustakas had originally  injured his thumb in Anaheim last week on a play at third base and re-aggravated the injury on a swing in Seattle.

Though it depends on the severity of the fracture, we could be looking at Moustakas being out of the lineup for a month or more. Indians catcher Roberto Perez had surgery on a fractured thumb this week and is expected to be out 8-12 weeks. Braves infielder Phil Gosselin fractured his thumb last year and missed three months following surgery. In 2009, Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner missed one and a half months with a broken thumb.

To fill Moustakas' spot on the 25-man roster, the Royals recalled Cheslor Cuthbert, who made his MLB debut last year. Cuthbert, 23, was having a fantastic year in Omaha, hitting .333/.402/.624 with 7 home runs in only 24 games played. If it's any consolation, this presents an opportunity for the Royals' Third Base Tree to produce additional fruit, as Cuthbert and Hunter Dozier have been decimating their respective leagues for the past month. Regardless, an injury to one of the few offensively productive players on this team right now is not the way to score more runs.

1:00 p.m. Update:

More From Royals Review