Angels Sluggers Land on DL: Panic Time in O.C.?

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Center fielder Torii Hunter and left fielder/designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero were officially placed on the 15-day disabled list today.

Guerrero tweaked his hamstring and strained a muscled behind his left knee when he landed awkwardly after making a catch in Thursday night's game against the Rangers.

Hunter will be resting a a strained abductor muscle in his side that he's been nursing since slamming into the wall at Dodger Stadium on May 22.

Now, after the screaming dies down, pay attention. 

No team wants its top offensive threats to miss 15 days, let alone 15 minutes. But the situation the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim find themselves isn't as bad as it could be.

Hunter is currently making a strong case for the AL MVP this year. He leads the Angels in both home runs (17) and RBIs (65). Add in his unmatched defense in center field, and Hunter is unquestionably the Angels' most dynamic threat on both sides of the ball.

However, he has only hit one home run since belting three in one game against the San Diego Padres back on June 13, and his batting average has steadily dropped from .321 on June 19 to .290 today.

Hunter is a spectacular player, but this is a long season and a little time off at the halfway point might not be such a bad thing.

Guerrero, on the other hand, has had a rougher start to the season, but is starting to turn things around.

After an agonizingly slow start, which included over a month on the DL with a torn pectoral muscle, his average is back to a respectable .291, with two of his four home runs on the season coming in the last seven games. 

This month alone, Big Daddy is batting .357, slugging .643, and has driven in eight runs to help his Angels catch the AL West-leading Texas Rangers in the standings.

Guerrero and Hunter will be sorely missed.

But if there was ever such a thing as a “good” time to be injured, this is it.

In the first place, this 15-day DL stint is retroactive to the last game the Angels played against the Rangers, when Guerrero and Hunter sat out. On Thursday, the team had an off day before facing the New York Yankees in the weekend series.

So just like that, we're down to 13 days. Let's keep going.

Starting Monday, all of baseball enjoys a three-day summer vacation, more commonly known as the All-Star Break.

Players on the DL are ineligible for the All-Star game, so while poor Hunter won't be able to take his rightful place in center field, he will be afforded some extra rest before he returns.

Throw out the break, and we're down to 10 days. 

Now, immediately following the All-Star break, the Angels begin a six-game road trip. Normally, road games are tougher than those at home and teams value having their best players on the field.

But this road trip will take the Angels through Oakland and Kansas City, hardly the powerhouses of the American League. 

The Angels swept the A's the last time these two teams hooked up in a two-game set in Oakland. Two days later, they took three straight from the Royals in Anaheim, including a 1-0 win over Cy Young candidate Zack Greinke. 

Both of these teams are below .500 on the season and are struggling right now with both pitching and scoring, so losing a little offensive thump for these two series shouldn't hurt the Angels all that much.

T

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?