Miguel Sano's heating pad gaffe makes list of MLB's strangest injuries of 2024

Sano ended up on the Angels' IR for two months and was cut shortly after returning to play

Apr 20, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Miguel Sano (22) reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

If Twins fans had a nickel for every time a former Twins player burned themselves while on a new team, they would have two nickels. It's not a lot, but self-inflicted burn injuries aren't all that common in baseball and for it to happen twice to former Twins is just simply remarkable.

Miguel Sano can now welcome himself into the clubhouse that Marty Cordova has long been the sole citizen of, after burning himself on a tanning bed while with the Baltimore Orioles in 2002.

According to The Athletic's Jason Stark, Sano, while with the Angels during the 2024 season, was rehabbing from a knee injury when his burning incident happened. Sano was on the Angels' IL due to knee inflammation in May and as Stark put it, "He slapped a heating pad on that knee, lost track of time and... Ouch!"

Sano had appeared to find a bit of a groove early on with the Angels, slashing .262/.352/.361 with 27 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances before the injury shelved him at the end of April. The heating pad incident ended up extending his stay on the IL for an additional month and things dropped off in a big way when he returned.

Upon returning in late June, he slashed an abysmal .046/.125/.182 in 24 plate appearances. The Angels cut Sano on July 13 and he wasn't picked up by another squad afterwards.

Sano placed second in Stark's annual 'Weirdest injuries of the year' column, coming in behind Tampa's Peter Fairbanks, who cut his finger while trying to take the cap off a bottle of spring water.