Ramón Laureano Injury Update: Health status and recovery time for Athletics slugger placed on IL

The Oakland Athletics have unsurprisingly been one of the worst teams in the league, and now, they will need to continue through their rough stretch without Ramón Laureano.

The veteran outfielder was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured right hand, the move was made retroactively to Thursday, June 22nd.

"The #Oakland @Athletics placed outfielder Ramón Laureano on the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 22 with a fractured right hand and recalled outfielder Conner Capel from @AviatorsLV the club announced today." - @StephenLangsam

The 28-year-old outfielder had been dealing with the hand injury for a week now, leaving the Athletics with no choice but to place Ramón Laureano on the IL. The Dominican slugger had been in and out of the lineup since injuring his hand last week.

Originally, many believed that the injury likely took place back on June 14 during a matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. However, according to the Oakland Athletics' training staff, the fracture occurred after being hit by a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers.

It remains to be seen how long Laureano will be out of the Oakland Athletics lineup, however, it will likely be an extended stint on the IL given the nature of the injury.

While Oakland will hope to have their player return healthy, the team will likely not feel his absence given the fact that they own a dreadful 19-50 record, while also winning two of their last ten games.

Ramón Laureano's absence could affect the Oakland Athletics' trade deadline

For some, it may be surprising that Laureano is still on the Oakland Athletics roster, as the team has traded away all of its valuable veterans in recent seasons. Some of the veterans that the A's have traded away include Matt Chapman, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy.

As the August 1 MLB Trade Deadline draws closer and closer, the veteran outfielder was expected to be on the market for contenders, however, his right-hand fracture could play a key factor in any potential moves.

He has struggled since returning from his 80-day PED suspension that he received in August of 2021. That being said, Laureano has proven in the past that he can provide teams with a combination of power and speed from the outfield.

"I wrote about trades to salvage 2023 without burying the farm. I'd look to places like Oak, CHW, COL. Can Charlie Blackmon be my 2023 Carlos Santana? Can Ramon Laureano or Tim Anderson turn back into great players on a team that's more competitive?" - @michaelt_05

The best season of his career came in 2019 when he recorded 24 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases in 123 games with the Oakland A's.

That glimpse of Ramón Laureano's All-Star talent could pique the interest of teams looking for outfield depth such as the New York Yankees.