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. But he said on Sunday that he’s feeling better and is day-to-day.
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, and further testing revealed no structural damage.
“I’m feeling a lot better,” Schanuel said Sunday. “When it first happened, I took some time, and then today, woke up, felt a lot better, and walking on it feels a lot better as well.”
J.D. Davis replaced Schanuel and struck out on the next pitch to end the inning. The at-bat, however, counts toward Schanuel’s statistics. Davis also started Sunday's series finale against the Twins.
Schanuel, 23, has slashed .247/.327/.382 with two homers, four doubles and eight RBIs in 26 games this season.
If he sustains a setback, the Angels have the left-handed-hitting Ryan Noda and Niko Kavadas at Triple-A Salt Lake. Entering Saturday, Noda was slashing .158/.340/.289 with three homers and six RBIs in 24 games, 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.
But Schanuel is confident he could return as soon as Tuesday.
“I’m day-to-day,” Schanuel said. “If I could get out there today, I would love to, but I don’t know that's gonna happen. But having tomorrow off helps out, so [I'll] hopefully be out there as soon as possible.”