Andy Pages, the Dodgers‘ All-Star center fielder, fractured his left hand on Friday, August 21, after taking a 100.2 mph sinker from Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Bubba Chandler in the third inning. Los Angeles placed him on the 10-day injured list the following day and immediately recalled outfielder Alek Thomas from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill the void.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Pages — batting third between Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman — was in the middle of the best season of his career, with the postseason practically within reach.
What happened: a 100-mph sinker and a late-night diagnosis
Pages stayed in the game after the hit-by-pitch, even taking the field in center in the fourth inning before being removed in the fifth. The Dodgers went on to win 5-4 in ten innings on a walk-off single by Tommy Edman — but the story of the night was Pages. After the game, manager Dave Roberts confirmed the bad news.
«The X-rays unfortunately showed a fracture, so he’ll be out for a while,» Roberts told reporters at Dodger Stadium that night. The initial in-game diagnosis had been a bruise; imaging told a different story.
Roberts was measured but direct about the timeline: «It’s not a season-ending injury because these things typically run four to five weeks. Knowing him, I’d expect him back on the shorter end — four weeks — and there’s enough time left in the season for that.» He also noted that surgery remains an option, though it wouldn’t change the recovery estimate.
What’s at stake: Pages’ first All-Star nod and 80 RBI shared with Ohtani
This was Andy Pages’ breakout year. The 25-year-old Cuban outfielder was slashing .272/.338/.458 with 21 home runs and 80 RBI in 128 games — numbers that earned him his first All-Star selection and a spot hitting third in one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. His 80 RBI tied Ohtani for the team lead, which says everything about the kind of season he was putting together.
The hole he leaves isn’t just about production. Pages was the anchor of the outfield on a team with World Series expectations. Missing four to five weeks puts his first-round availability in real doubt, though a potential Wild Card bye — still something the Dodgers are fighting for — could buy him extra recovery days.
Alek Thomas: Gold Glove defense and his best August yet
The Thomas call-up isn’t a panic move. The 26-year-old outfielder came to the Dodgers in May in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks — for 17-year-old prospect José Requena — and spent his time at Triple-A refining his bat. The results show in his August numbers: .333/.405/.515, with a season OPS of .855 that translates to a 116 wRC+, meaning he’s been 16% better than the average Pacific Coast League hitter.
But what Roberts emphasized most was the glove. Thomas was a Gold Glove finalist in both 2022 and 2023 with Arizona — exactly the center field profile the manager pointed to when announcing the move. In October baseball, where a single catch can swing a series, that matters as much as any slash line.
The Dodgers also have Enrique Hernández (who turns 35 on August 25) and Tommy Edman, recently back from ankle surgery, as outfield options. According to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, the team’s preference is to avoid overloading either one with a full-time center field role.
