Off to a hot start with Angels, Mickey Moniak suffers another tough break originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Mickey Moniak is off to a hot start with the Angels but suffered another unfortunate setback late Saturday night when he was hit by a pitch on the middle finger attempting a bunt.
The kid can’t catch a break.
“It’s not looking good,” Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters after the game, indicating the finger may be broken.
Jean Segura had his index finger broken on a bunt attempt on May 31 and did not return until August 4. If Moniak’s finger is broken, he could be looking at a similar absence and you wonder if it would end his 2022 season.
Moniak had been productive in his first week with the Angels. He homered in his second game with the team and was their top offensive player in Saturday’s doubleheader in Seattle. He drove in the Angels’ only run in Game 1 with a well-struck single off George Kirby, then hit a two-run homer off Chris Flexen in the nightcap. He already has more home runs in 15 plate appearances with the Angels than he did in 105 with the Phillies across three seasons.
If Moniak is forced to miss time, it would be another gut-punch for 2016’s top overall pick. His powerful spring training finally put him in position to make the Phillies’ opening day roster and he was in line to start in center field in Game 1. Then he was struck by a pitch in the hand on the final day of spring training and his season debut was delayed until May 30.
The Phillies traded Moniak and Single A outfielder Jadiel Sanchez to the Angels at the trade deadline for Noah Syndergaard, a two-month rental. Syndergaard made his Phillies debut on Thursday against the Nationals and looked shaky, allowing four runs on 11 hits over five innings but receiving the win in a rain-shortened game.