MINNEAPOLIS -- Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel fouled a ball off his right knee that caused him to leave Saturday afternoon's 5-1 loss against the Twins at Target Field in the fourth inning.
Facing right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, Schanuel fouled off a 1-2 curveball directly into his right knee. He was in immediate pain and had trouble putting weight on his knee as he left the field with manager Ron Washington and assistant trainer Eric Munson. The team called it a right knee contusion. Schanuel, who was seen walking with a limp after the game, underwent testing, but the results weren¡¯t immediately available.
¡°We have no information on that yet,¡± Washington said after the game. ¡°He¡¯s still getting testing.¡±
J.D. Davis replaced Schanuel and promptly struck out on the next pitch to end the inning. The at-bat, however, counts toward Schanuel¡¯s statistics.
It would be a big blow if Schanuel has to miss time due to the injury, as the Angels don't have much depth at first base. He's slashed .247/.327/.382 with two homers, four doubles and eight RBIs in 26 games this year.
The Angels have the left-handed-hitting Ryan Noda and the right-handed-hitting Niko Kavadas at Triple-A Salt Lake. Entering Saturday, Noda was slashing .158/.340/.289 with three homers and six RBIs in 24 games this season, while Kavadas was slashing .233/.358/.411 with four homers and 19 RBIs in 24 games. Both players are on the 40-man roster and Kavadas is ranked as the club¡¯s No. 30 prospect by MLB Pipeline.