Angels Injury News: Taylor Ward Likely Out for the Season

There's some sad news surrounding the Angels LF.

It's been a sad 48 hours for Taylor Ward.

The Los Angeles Angels left fielder had to leave Saturday afternoon's loss against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning after being hit in the face by a pitch.

He was originally placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday morning with facial fractures, but that designation in all likelihood was serving as a placeholder for bad news to come later.

Unfortunately, Ward was transferred to the 60-day IL later that night according to The Athletic's Sam Blum, in a move that all but officially puts an end to what had been a great year for him.

Taylor Ward will miss basically the rest of the regular season. He's going on the 60-day IL. He could be back for the playoffs in theory, but this is clearly a significant injury. Tough news for him.

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) July 31, 2023

The 29-year-old had hit .253/.335/.421 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI this year, and the latter two categories were on pace to be career highs for the sixth-year Halo.

There was plenty of reaction to both sides of the injury in the past two days.

Alek Manoah, the Blue Jays right-hander who hit Ward on Saturday, expressed remorse for the incident and sent him well wishes.

Ward's teammate, Mike Moustakas, mentioned postgame just how scary it was to see that happen to him, and he was hoping the best for him moving forward.

Thankfully, it appears as if Ward will be able to return in time for next season, but his injury is a blow for an Angels team that's trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

The team acquired starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez last week, and they sit just four games back in the race for the American League's final playoff spot as of Monday morning.

It remains to be seen what will happen for the Halos down the stretch of the season, but it looks like Ward unfortunately won't be able to play a part in the team's run.

We wish him all the best as he continues his recovery.