Angels’ Chris Taylor breaks hand again; Jorge Soler to IL, too

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Chris Taylor is likely to be sidelined for at least the next six weeks after breaking his left hand for the second time this season.

Outfielder Jorge Soler also went on the 10-day injured list Saturday with lower back inflammation before the Angels hosted the Seattle Mariners.

Taylor got hurt on an awkward fall while trying to make a catch in the outfield during the seventh inning Friday night. The veteran had just returned to the active roster Monday after being out since June 9, when his left hand was broken by a pitch from the Athletics’ Tyler Ferguson.

“Just the fluke accident, sort of, on that play,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “Anytime you’re coming back from an injury like that, you’re at risk of having something like that happen. He works hard to get everything back, to get to the point to help us … so I do, I feel terrible.”

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Taylor has batted .189 while appearing in just 15 games for the Angels since the two-time World Series champion was dropped by the Los Angeles Dodgers in May.

Soler, 33, has been playing through back soreness in recent weeks, and the Angels ultimately decided to pause his daily routine to provide him with an extended chance to rest.

“It’s a real thing,” Montgomery said. “If you haven’t been out there and it’s later in your career and you’ve taken breaks from that stuff, it’s not easy to do. And I applaud what he did when he was out there, because he was actually very good to my eye, given the circumstance. But it’s not something we can put on him through the end of the year. So we’ve got to figure out something.”

Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP with Atlanta, is batting .215 with 12 homers, 34 RBIs and 94 strikeouts in an unimpressive first season for the Angels.

The Angels recalled outfielder Gustavo Campero and infielder Scott Kingery from Triple-A Salt Lake to fill the roster spots. LaMonte Wade Jr. played right field in Soler’s place in Saturday night’s 7-2 loss to the Mariners.