ANAHEIM -- Just as he was starting to heat up at the plate, catcher Sebastián Rivero suffered a fractured left hamate on a swing on Tuesday and will undergo surgery that is expected to keep him out for roughly four weeks.
The Angels selected catcher Logan Porter’s contract from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Rivero’s place on the roster. Rivero had a hit in seven straight plate appearances before sustaining the injury while fouling back a pitch in the fifth inning of a 10-1 win over the Astros. Logan O’Hoppe replaced him at the plate and struck out looking with Rivero getting the 0-for-1 in the at-bat to end his streak.
“There were some tears out of my eyes last night after I got pulled out of the game,” Rivero said. “I'm a fighter. I didn't want to come out of the game. But I knew I couldn’t fight through with a two-strike at-bat. It just happens, you know.”
Rivero, 27, slashed .245/.286/.283 with two doubles and eight RBIs in 24 games before suffering the injury. He memorably went 5-for-5 against the Dodgers on Sunday and was 2-for-2 in his first two at-bats on Tuesday. It came after he opened the season going 6-for-45 at the plate.
“Obviously disappointed,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “He was playing well and then that happened. Definitely disappointing for him.”
Porter, meanwhile, joined the organization on Monday when he signed a Minor League deal after being outrighted by the Giants. He didn't play in a game with Triple-A Salt Lake and played in just one game with San Francisco this year, serving as a pinch-runner.
He's a career .184/.326/.289 hitter with a homer and four RBis in 17 career games in the Majors with the Royals (2023) and Giants (2025-26). He hit .241/.292/.362 with a homer and 10 RBIs in 17 games with Triple-A Sacramento this year.
“From what I've heard and some of the stuff I’ve seen stats-wise, he’s a really good defensive catcher and he can do some things with the bat,” Suzuki said. “We’re excited to have him here.”
First baseman Nolan Schanuel also left Tuesday’s game with an injury after he was hit on the left calf by a pitch in the first inning. It started to tighten up on him and he exited in the fourth and was held out of the lineup again as a precaution on Wednesday with Trey Mancini starting at first. But Schanuel, who returned from the injured list on Saturday after missing 11 games with left ankle tendonitis, is expected to return for Friday’s series opener against the Rays.
“Getting hit right in the calf doesn't feel good,” Suzuki said. “It started tightening up and being precautionary, we just took him out. But he’s good.”