LOS ANGELES -- Center fielder Andy Pages has made himself all but indispensable with the bat and the glove this season, but the Dodgers will have to piece together most of the rest of the regular season without him.
Pages sustained a fracture in his left hand after being struck by a 100.2 mph sinker from Pirates starter Bubba Chandler on Friday night, and he was placed on the 10-day injured list ahead of Saturday evening's game at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers believe it's likely that he will need surgery on his hand, which they say would not meaningfully change his initial recovery timetable of four to five weeks.
"Like I told him in the X-ray room," manager Dave Roberts said, "the season's not over for him, and we expect him back, full health."
As a corresponding move for Pages going on the IL, the Dodgers recalled center fielder Alek Thomas from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Thomas was acquired in a trade with the D-backs in May, after he was designated for assignment by Arizona.
Replacing Pages is no easy feat. A first-time All-Star this season, the 25-year-old hit .272 with a .796 OPS. He was one of the top run producers in the Dodgers' lineup, as he was tied with Shohei Ohtani for the team lead with 80 RBIs at the time of his injury.
Pages has also blossomed into a plus defender in center field, ranking in the 95th percentile with nine Outs Above Average, according to Statcast. Taking into account the full package of what Pages has brought to the Dodgers, his 5.5 bWAR ranked second on the team, behind only Ohtani (6.9).
The Dodgers are expecting to be without Pages for at least four weeks. During that time, they will run a platoon in center field. Thomas will be the primary option against right-handed pitchers, while a combination of Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández will start against left-handers.
Thomas brings solid defense and impactful speed to L.A. He recorded an .855 OPS in 55 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City after spending the beginning of his time in the organization working on his swing. He worked at the Dodgers' player development complex in Glendale, Ariz., and Maven Baseball Lab in Atlanta at the suggestion of the team, hoping to unlock more consistency.
"Honestly, we did a deep dive into everything about my game. It was all good stuff," Thomas said. "So I’m really glad that I had that time in Triple-A to get back to my normal self and get back to playing my game."
Edman has been the Dodgers' primary second baseman, and Hernández has mostly played third base, left field and first base this season. Hernández may be the likelier candidate to see more time in center field against left-handed pitching, but L.A. can move both utility men around the diamond as needed.