Angels Reinstate David Fletcher From Injured List

The Angels have reinstated infielder David Fletcher from the 10-day injured list, the club announced.  Southpaw Jose Quijada was optioned to the Angels’ alternate training site to make space for Fletcher on the active roster.

Fletcher’s IL placement (due to a left ankle sprain) was retroactive to August 31, so he will return to the field after slightly more than a minimal amount of time missed.  Fletcher will now get to resume what had been the best of his three MLB seasons, as he was batting an impressive .313/.377/.438 over his first 162 plate appearances.

Mostly playing shortstop in Andrelton Simmons’ absence, Fletcher is playing second base in tonight’s Halos lineup, which will likely be his set position for the remainder of the year since Simmons is now healthy and Anthony Rendon is entrenched at third base.  Fletcher’s versatility comes in handy for lineup juggling and late-game defensive switches, as he also has some experience at both corner outfield positions.  This gives the Angels some flexibility in how they’ll operate with Fletcher going forward, as he could continue as a regular second baseman in 2021 or perhaps shift over to shortstop if Simmons leaves in free agency.