TORONTO — In a scary scene, Angels left fielder Taylor Ward was hit in the head by a 91.7 mph sinker from Alek Manoah and had to be carted off the field in the fifth inning of Saturday afternoon’s game at Rogers Centre.
With the bases loaded with one out and a 2-0 count, Ward was struck near his left eye, knocking his helmet off his head. Ward immediately went to the ground and was tended to by third-base coach Bill Hassleman, acting manager Ray Montgomery and head athletic trainer Mike Frostad.
Ward remained on the ground and was given a towel, as he was bleeding from his face. After roughly five minutes, a cart was brought in from center field. Ward was able to sit up on the cart under his own power, which was a good sign and caused the fans to applaud. But Ward’s left eye appeared swollen as he was taken off the field.
The hit-by-pitch brought in the first run of the game for the Angels and was also the last pitch thrown by Manoah. Lefty Génesis Cabrera relieved Manoah, striking out Mike Moustakas and getting Matt Thaiss to pop out to end the inning.
Losing Ward for any amount of time would be a huge blow for the Angels, as he’s been one of their hottest hitters and fellow outfielder Mike Trout is out until at least mid-August after undergoing surgery to remove his left hamate bone. Ward has hit .304/.424/.623 with five homers, seven doubles and 17 RBIs in 20 games in July.
Luis Rengifo moved from shortstop to left field to replace Ward, while Andrew Velazquez took over at shortstop after entering to pinch-run.
