LOS ANGELES -- After celebrating Friday night's 5-4 walk-off victory over the Pirates, the Dodgers were met with the sobering news that they'll need to piece together much of the rest of the regular season without their All-Star center fielder.
Andy Pages is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks after X-rays revealed a fracture on the back of his left hand following a hit-by-pitch. He had a minor procedure on the fifth metacarpal of his hand over the weekend, which entailed inserting a compression screw to expedite the healing process, a source told MLB.com.
Pages took a 100.2 mph sinker from Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler off his hand in the bottom of the third inning on Friday. He was in visible pain, and manager Dave Roberts and an athletic trainer accompanied him to first base. After being checked on, Pages initially remained in the game and played one more inning in the field. But when the Dodgers took the field for the top of the fifth inning, Kiké Hernández replaced Pages in center field.
If Pages returns in four to five weeks, as hoped, then he would be back right before the postseason.
"I would expect him back, knowing him, on the earlier side," manager Dave Roberts said. "There's still time in the season for him to be back. But I feel for him because he was having such a good year and he likes to play. But yeah, we've got to move on and hold down the fort until he's back.”
A first-time All-Star this season, Pages has established himself as a key piece of the Dodgers' core. His 5.5 bWAR ranked second on the team, behind only Shohei Ohtani (6.9). Pages hit .272 with a .796 OPS, and he was consistently excellent in center field, ranking in the 95th percentile with nine outs above average, per Statcast.
While Pages has made a big impact with his bat, replacing his glove is a bigger priority as the Dodgers figure out how to replace him for the next four weeks.
"You've got to be mindful of the defense, certainly in center field. Somebody that can handle center field," Roberts said. "We'll piece it together. I'm not sure right now, but I do think that the main thing is locking down center field."
The Dodgers recalled center fielder Alek Thomas from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday. He started in center field and went 1-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Thomas was acquired in a trade with the D-backs in May, after he was designated for assignment by Arizona.