Andrew McCutchen's return to Pennsylvania, this time in Philadelphia, was off to a nice start for the first-place Phillies, but then came to a crashing halt on Monday night in San Diego. McCutchen was taken out of Monday's loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, and is done for the season with a torn ACL. The incident took place while he was running down the first base line on a ground ball, and was to his left knee. The outfielder asked for prayers on social media that night, which hinted at the seriousness of the ailment.
An MRI on Tuesday revealed the severity of the injury, as the former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder is expected to be ready for Opening Day in 2020. Phillies manager Gabe Kapler did not have a date for when the surgery will take place for McCutchen, who has only been on the injured list one other time in his career, and that was in 2014.
In his first season with the Phillies, he was hitting .256 with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs, and a National League-leading 43 walks. This was the first season of a three-year, $50 million contract that he signed this past off-season. The outfielder is a former National League MVP with the Pirates in 2013.
The timing of this injury is not ideal for the Phillies, who had to place outfielder Odubel Herrera on administrative leave last week following an arrest for domestic violence. Although, the team did acquire slugger Jay Bruce this past weekend from the Seattle Mariners, and he made his team debut by replacing McCutchen on Monday. Bruce put the fan base at ease for at least one night when he went deep twice, including a grand slam, in a win over the Padres on Tuesday night.
An MRI on Tuesday revealed the severity of the injury, as the former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder is expected to be ready for Opening Day in 2020. Phillies manager Gabe Kapler did not have a date for when the surgery will take place for McCutchen, who has only been on the injured list one other time in his career, and that was in 2014.
In his first season with the Phillies, he was hitting .256 with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs, and a National League-leading 43 walks. This was the first season of a three-year, $50 million contract that he signed this past off-season. The outfielder is a former National League MVP with the Pirates in 2013.
The timing of this injury is not ideal for the Phillies, who had to place outfielder Odubel Herrera on administrative leave last week following an arrest for domestic violence. Although, the team did acquire slugger Jay Bruce this past weekend from the Seattle Mariners, and he made his team debut by replacing McCutchen on Monday. Bruce put the fan base at ease for at least one night when he went deep twice, including a grand slam, in a win over the Padres on Tuesday night.
