Phillies' Andrew McCutchen's Knee Injury Diagnosed as Torn ACL; Out for the Year
June 4, 2019
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen suffered a torn ACL in Monday's 8-2 loss to the San Diego Padres, per The Athletic's Matt Gelb.
McCutchen will miss the remainder of the 2019 MLB season as a result of the injury. He had appeared in 59 games, batting .256 and slugging .457 with 10 home runs and 29 RBI.
McCutchen said the injury "sucks" and that he's aiming for a return in time for Opening Day next season, per Gelb.
The Phillies announced they placed him on the 10-day injured list with a "left anterior cruciate ligament injury."
In the first inning of Monday's game, McCutchen got caught in a rundown between first and second base. He pulled up while running back to first and immediately grabbed his left knee.
Concern for the five-time All-Star grew when he posted this cryptic tweet after the game:
MLB.com's Paul Casella noted the injury ends an impressive run of durability for McCutchen. Since becoming a full-time MLB regular in 2010, he had never missed more than 16 games in a season.
When the move went through, some questioned whether the Phillies' acquisition of Jay Bruce from the Seattle Mariners was a luxury addition. Now, having Bruce somewhat softens the blow of McCutchen's injury, though the Phillies were without a natural replacement in center field.
Philadelphia called up Adam Haseley to take McCutchen's spot on the 25-man roster. Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said the rookie "is going to have a chance to play regularly," per Gelb.
The eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft, Haseley sits third in MLB.com's ranking of the Phillies' top 30 prospects. The 23-year-old appeared in only six Triple-A games before getting the call to the majors.
Although Philadelphia likely views Haseley as a key piece of their outfield in the future, McCutchen was third on the team in WAR (1.7), per FanGraphs. Considering they have title aspirations in 2019, the Phillies might have to turn to the trade market again in order to properly fill the void created by his absence.