MLB PLAYER NEWS

Angels OF Upton (turf toe) lands on IL

Field Level Media

March 27, 2019 at 4:01 am.

Mar 22, 2019; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) and Justin Upton (8) before a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 22, 2019; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) and Justin Upton (8) before a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

A case of turf toe will prevent Justin Upton from beginning the season on the Los Angeles Angels’ roster.

The Angels will place the left fielder on the injured list, and there is no timetable for his return, manager Brad Ausmus said Tuesday.

The injury occurred Sunday in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Anaheim, Calif., when he hit the wall while going after a fly ball.

“It’s actually an injury you see a little more with offensive linemen and defensive linemen in the NFL,” general manager Billy Eppler said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s caused when you’re essentially in a loaded position and you’re pushing and you kind of get pushed backwards, and your toe hyperextends.

“He was using his foot as a braking mechanism, and his toe hit the wall. We’re still gathering all of the imaging and getting it looked at by a bunch of experts. We can’t talk about a timeline, but he will start the year on the IL.”

Upton previously was slowed this spring due to right knee tendinitis. The 31-year-old veteran is coming off his third consecutive year with 30-plus homers. He hit .257 last year with 30 home runs and 85 RBIs in 145 games.

In a 12-year major league career, Upton has a .268/.348/.478 batting line with 286 homers and 897 RBIs in 1,634 games.

A possible left field replacement for Upton, Michael Hermosillo, also might start the year on the IL as he recovers from groin surgery. As a result, Peter Bourjos probably will be the regular in left field during Upton’s absence, according to Ausmus.

The Angels also optioned right-hander Jaime Barria (10-9, 3.41 ERA in 26 starts in 2018) to Triple-A Salt Lake and released non-roster left-hander Dan Jennings. With the Brewers last year, Jennings went 4-5 with one save and a 3.22 ERA in 72 appearances (one start).

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