Injuries robbed the Angels of the heart of their order today when Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero were placed on the 15-day disabled list, Guerrero because of a strained muscle behind his left knee and Hunter because of an adductor strain on his right side.
They will be replaced on the roster by infielder Brandon Wood and catcher Bobby Wilson, who were called up from triple-A Salt Lake and will join the team for tonight's game against the New York Yankees in Angel Stadium.
The Angels will go with an outfield of Juan Rivera in left, Gary Matthews Jr. in center and Bobby Abreu in right. The addition of a third catcher will enable Manager Mike Scioscia to use catcher Mike Napoli more easily in the designated hitter spot.
Adding to the sting of Hunter's injury is that it will prevent the center fielder from participating in Tuesday's All-Star Game in St. Louis; the eight-time Gold Glove Award winner was voted onto the American League team by players, coaches and managers.
"That's what hurts," Hunter said Wednesday, when he knew there was a chance of him going on the DL. "It's hard to sit out the All-Star Game when people voted for you, and it's your first time going as an Angel. I want to represent."
Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, who has the next highest number of votes, will replace Hunter in Tuesday's game.
Hunter's loss to the Angels will be considerable -- he is batting .305 with a team-leading 17 home runs and 65 runs batted in, and has made several spectacular defensive plays.
But Hunter also acknowledged Wednesday that he has not been even close to 100% since he crashed into the Dodger Stadium wall to make a catch on May 24.
He aggravated the injury, which is in the groin area, while crashing into the wall in San Francisco in mid-June and while batting in Texas last week.
"I try to tolerate pain, but I've been cruising, not running at full speed, and I hate that; that's not me," Hunter said. "When I have to steal a base, adrenaline takes over. Afterward, that's when I feel it."
Guerrero, who missed five weeks of April and May because of a torn right chest muscle, injured his knee while fielding a single toward the gap in Tuesday night's game against Texas.
His loss might not be as severe as it would have been in previous seasons, when he regularly hit .300 with 25 homers and drove in 100 runs or more.
Guerrero is batting .290 with only four homers and 21 RBIs in 46 games, and though he has been hitting in the cleanup spot, he had little to do with the Angels' offensive surge in the past month.
Wood, the organization's top power prospect, is hitting .313 with 17 homers, 19 doubles and 52 RBIs in 70 games for Salt Lake. He ranks third in the Pacific Coast League with a .592 slugging percentage.
Wilson was batting .261 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 65 games at Salt Lake.
mike.digiovanna@latimes.com
