SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres placed first baseman Eric Hosmer on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a broken left index finger suffered while bunting with two strikes the night before.
To take his roster spot, the Padres recalled outfielder Abraham Almonte from the alternate training site.
Manager Jayce Tingler said Hosmer won’t require surgery and his finger is in a splint.
Tingler said the recovery time could be two to three weeks, and after that it would be a “pain tolerance deal. We’ve got a lot of confidence in Hos being able to take a high level of pain.”
The Padres began the day with the second-best record in the National League. The regular season ends Sept. 27.
Hosmer was injured while trying to bunt in the first inning in Monday night’s 1-0 victory against the Colorado Rockies. Tingler said his players “have a lot of freedom at the plate” and thinks Hosmer was trying to beat a shift by dropping “an easy hit” down the third base line because third baseman Nolan Arenado was shifted almost to the shortstop position. Instead, the ball hit his finger and he was called out on strikes.
Hosmer was having a good season, hitting the ball in the air more than he had in recent seasons. He was batting .291 with eight homers and 32 RBIs, and was part of the Padres’ “Slam Diego” outburst in mid-August, when they became the first team in history to hit four grand slams in four straight games.
Mitch Moreland, acquired from Boston on Aug. 30, started at first base in Tuesday night’s game against the Rockies. Rookie Jake Cronenworth filled in at first for several games early in the season when Hosmer was out with a stomach ailment. He has since moved to second base. He got a day off Tuesday, with Greg Garcia starting at second.
