From @Jack Loder :
Arizona State will be without UCLA transfer outfielder Nick McLain for the next five to six weeks. Willie Bloomquist announced following Friday night’s season-opening win that McLain has a broken hamate bone and will require surgery that will keep him out for over a month.
This unfortunate development comes on the heels of a freshman season that McLain nearly entirely missed due to a back injury. If all goes according to plan, he’ll be back in time for the Territorial cup series against Arizona beginning on Friday, March 24.
“That was part of the plan going into this offseason; we needed to get depth at a lot of positions and create competition,” Willie Bloomquist said. “Obviously, it hurts to lose Nick but we feel very confident with (Wyatt) Crenshaw and (Kien) Vu out there in the outfield next to those guys we have out there.”
Just last week, McLain spoke about his excitement surrounding the season opener and how he’s been feeding off the team’s energy during preseason practices.
“This is going to be my first opening day in college; I didn't really have one last year,” McLain explained. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work with the trainers, and just getting my body ready has been a priority.”
The hamate bone is a common stress fracture with baseball players. It sits on the top of the hand and is irritated by the rolling-over motion of a typical swing. It serves no real purpose in the hand, so McLain is having his clean removed in next week’s procedure.
On Friday night, it was Wyatt Crenshaw starting in his place, on Saturday, it may be him, Kien Vu, or another combination that Willie Bloomquist cooks up. ASU added impressive depth in the offseason, and it is already being tested. If the team can produce without McLain for the next month and change, his addition in late March should serve as an injection of energy and talent.
Arizona State will be without UCLA transfer outfielder Nick McLain for the next five to six weeks. Willie Bloomquist announced following Friday night’s season-opening win that McLain has a broken hamate bone and will require surgery that will keep him out for over a month.
This unfortunate development comes on the heels of a freshman season that McLain nearly entirely missed due to a back injury. If all goes according to plan, he’ll be back in time for the Territorial cup series against Arizona beginning on Friday, March 24.
“That was part of the plan going into this offseason; we needed to get depth at a lot of positions and create competition,” Willie Bloomquist said. “Obviously, it hurts to lose Nick but we feel very confident with (Wyatt) Crenshaw and (Kien) Vu out there in the outfield next to those guys we have out there.”
Just last week, McLain spoke about his excitement surrounding the season opener and how he’s been feeding off the team’s energy during preseason practices.
“This is going to be my first opening day in college; I didn't really have one last year,” McLain explained. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work with the trainers, and just getting my body ready has been a priority.”
The hamate bone is a common stress fracture with baseball players. It sits on the top of the hand and is irritated by the rolling-over motion of a typical swing. It serves no real purpose in the hand, so McLain is having his clean removed in next week’s procedure.
On Friday night, it was Wyatt Crenshaw starting in his place, on Saturday, it may be him, Kien Vu, or another combination that Willie Bloomquist cooks up. ASU added impressive depth in the offseason, and it is already being tested. If the team can produce without McLain for the next month and change, his addition in late March should serve as an injection of energy and talent.
