Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus is out six to eight weeks after his right elbow was fractured when he was hit by a pitch Wednesday night.
The team said Andrus, 29, underwent a CT scan and additional X-rays Thursday which confirmed an olecranon fracture in his right elbow. Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister said the fracture is stable and will not require surgery.
Andrus is not expected to return until, at the earliest, May 24, when the team opens a four-game homestand against the Kansas City Royals.
The trip to the disabled list is the first for the shortstop in his 10-year career with the Rangers.
"Listen, you don't replace guys like this. It's such a huge part of the lineup and on the field defensively," Rangers Manager Jeff Banister said, also mentioning Andrus' leadership.
Andrus' injury came in the ninth inning of the team's fourth straight loss when he was hit by a fastball from hard-throwing reliever Keynan Middleton. He immediately grabbed at his right arm and fell to the ground, appearing to be in significant pain.
Angels star center fielder Mike Trout had been hit by a pitch in the top of the ninth inning.
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Asked if Andrus getting hit was retaliatory for that, Banister responded, "It's a fair question for you to ask, but I'm not going to speculate on anything like that."
Andrus is batting .327 with two homers and five RBIs from the third spot in Texas' order.
Since making his debut in 2009, Andrus has played at least 145 games every season. He is coming off two of the best seasons. After hitting .302 in 2016, he was a .297 hitter with career highs of 20 homers and 88 RBIs last season. He had never hit more than eight homers before that.
Second baseman Rougned Odor (left hamstring) and center fielder Delino DeShields (left hand) are both already on the disabled list for the Rangers, the first team in the majors with 10 losses.
Jurickson Profar started the last two games at second base for Odor, and now will likely move to shortstop for Andrus.
