Angels Lose Nolan Schanuel and Wade Meckler to the IL in Brutal Roster Blow

The Los Angeles Angels just put Nolan Schanuel and Wade Meckler on the injured list, proving once again that playing baseball in Anaheim comes with the same occupational hazards as being a stunt double in an action movie.

Schanuel is hitting the 10-day IL with a right intercostal muscle strain, while Meckler heads to the seven-day concussion list. To fill the void, Los Angeles called up Christian Moore and Gustavo Campero from Triple-A Salt Lake just in time for their weekend series against the Texas Rangers.

"Manager Kurt Suzuki noted Schanuel had been dealing with the side issue and was pulled for precautionary reasons given the blowout score."

Meckler’s injury is genuinely scary. During Thursday’s 18-3 blowout win over the Houston Astros, he took a 90.6 mph sinker from Bryan King directly to the head. He was hitting a very respectable .288 with three homers and 20 RBIs since being claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants this winter, finally giving the Angels a spark at the top of the lineup.

Schanuel exited that exact same game an inning later with side tightness. Manager Kurt Suzuki admitted the first baseman had been dealing with the issue for a bit, and with an 18-3 lead, they pulled the plug before it got worse. Schanuel leaves behind a .276 average, seven home runs, and 49 RBIs across 107 games this season.

Losing two guys who get on base at a high clip is a nightmare for a lineup trying to string together late-summer wins. If you are looking at the run totals for this weekend's series in Texas, you have to factor in that the Angels just lost a massive chunk of their contact hitting and replaced it with minor-league depth.

Meckler will have to clear MLB concussion protocols before he can even think about picking up a bat, making his return timeline a complete guessing game. Schanuel’s side strain is officially retroactive to Friday, but oblique and intercostal issues have a nasty habit of lingering well into September.