Angels' Taylor Ward Suffers Bloody Face Injury In Scary Scene at Daikin Park

Gabe Smallson | Aug 31, 2025

Aug 27, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder Taylor Ward (3) scores during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward suffered a scary injury while attempting to field a ball in the eighth inning against the Houston Astros.

Ward collided with the outfield wall which triggered a swift response from relief pitcher Andrew Chafin to emerge from the bullpen and hold a towel to Ward's head.

Per the Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher, Ward and fellow outfielder Jo Adell discussed how dangerous the unique scoreboard in the outfield could be only yesterday.

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Scary scene here in Houston.

Hopefully Taylor Ward is OK.

(Just last night after the game, he and Jo Adell were talking about how dangerous it can be to hit that that out of town scoreboard wrong.) pic.twitter.com/P6yAzKLCtx

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) August 31, 2025

Ward has an unfortunate history with these kinds of injuries as he was struck by a 92 mph fastball in 2023, resulting in a fractured nose, orbital bone, temple, and jaw. In addition to a season-ending surgery that involved three metal plates inserted into his face, he was unable to eat solid foods for close to two months.

As for Ward's current injury, he was carted off the field Sunday but able to stand up and even wave over medical personnel.

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Ward has been having himself a dominant season, with a career-high .477 slugging percentage, his highest OPS since 2022 (.792), a career-best 30 home runs, and 94 RBIs. Since last season, Ward has upped his walk percentage from 9.5 percent to 11.2 percent, placing him in the 79th percentile.

Ward is also a stalwart on defense, ranking in the 87th percentile in terms of Outs Above Average across MLB.

Perhaps another facet that has contributed to Ward's excellence this year is his barrel percentage of 13.8 percent, ranking him in the 87th percentile across MLB. Additionally, his chase percentage (chasing balls outside the strike zone) is at 21 percent, which is good for the 89th percentile in MLB.

There are currently no updates on Ward, but all that fans can do at this moment is continue to be patient and hope that the next update is a positive one. Ward is unfortunately no stranger to these types of injuries, but it doesn't make the situation any less severe.

In the wake of this event, it opens up the conversation for Daikin Park to consider adding protective padding to this area of the outfield, one that is unconventional compared to most other fields in MLB. Adding measures for safety shouldn't face much opposition, and especially with what happened to Ward, the hope is that change can be made.

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