White Sox may lose Quentin for season

CHICAGO -- The pennant hopes of the Chicago White Sox were dealt a severe -- and self-inflicted -- blow Friday when the team announced that slugger Carlos Quentin will undergo surgery on his fractured right wrist, a procedure that could sideline the left fielder for the rest of the season.

Quentin, whose .288 average, American League-leading 36 home runs and 100 runs batted in made him a most-valuable-player candidate, was injured Monday night when, after fouling off a pitch against Cleveland ace Cliff Lee, he hit his bat in frustration.

“I’ve been told there are rumors that I punched a wall. I would like to make it clear I did not punch a wall,” Quentin said, referring to a Chicago Sun-Times blog. “I would not do that. What did happen . . . I have trouble believing it happened. My last at-bat, I fouled it off. I had my bat in the left hand and kind of hit down on the bat head with my right hand, closed fist. I hit it a little bit low, nicked my wrist. I finished the at-bat, and 40 minutes later, I started feeling something in my wrist.”

Quentin will have a screw surgically inserted into the wrist Monday and will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. “We’re going with this option,” he said, “because it gives me a chance to get back on the field.”

Said the Angels’ Mark Teixeira: “It’s going to be tough to replace that bat, but that team is full of good offensive players, and everybody is going to get a chance to pick it up a bit.”

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com