The Angels have reinstated catcher Kurt Suzuki from the COVID-related injury list. Austin Romine was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Suzuki on the active roster, while fellow catcher Matt Thaiss will also remain with Triple-A Salt Lake on option after being activated from the minor league version of the IL.
With both Suzuki and Max Stassi sidelined on the COVID list, the Halos found themselves quite shorthanded behind the plate, leading to Romine and Chad Wallach each getting plenty of action over the last 10 days. Suzuki is returning after a two-week absence, while Stassi hit the IL on May 10 and could himself be close to a return. Angels athletic trainer Mike Frostad told The Athletic’s Sam Blum (Twitter links), and The Southern California Newsgroup’s J.P. Hoornstra that Stassi will likely play two more minor league rehab games before being activated.
The outlook isn’t as positive for Griffin Canning, as Frostad said the right-hander is considering surgery to address a stress reaction in his lower back. No decision has been made, as Canning is meeting with a specialist on Monday and will then opt to go with a surgery or a less-invasive treatment.
It’s worrisome news for Canning, as these back problems have kept him from pitching from July 8, 2021 (when Canning last took the mound at Triple-A). He had worked his way up to the simulated-game stage of his rehab earlier this month, but he continued to feel discomfort after his latest outing. Depending on the type of procedure or how well Canning responds to rehab, it’s possible the entire 2022 season could now be in jeopardy for the 26-year-old.
A second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Canning has appeared in each of the last three seasons, starting 41 of his 43 MLB games and posting a 4.73 ERA over 209 1/3 innings. Even without surgery, it’s hard to figure on when Canning might make his 2022 debut, leaving the Angels short an important depth arm for their six-man rotation. Long a weak spot, the Anaheim rotation has been quite good thus far, but the club also has less margin for error given their need of an extra hurler. With Canning sidelined and Jose Suarez ineffective, that depth has already been tested, the Halos recently promoted Chase Silseth directly from Double-A to the majors.
The Angels entered today’s action with a strong 24-17 record, despite an ongoing four-game losing streak. Last night’s 4-2 loss to the Athletics also saw Taylor Ward leave the game in the ninth inning after colliding with the outfield wall following a catch. Fortunately, Frostad said Ward didn’t suffer a concussion and only had a stinger in his arm after making the play.
Ward isn’t in tonight’s lineup but is only day-to-day, and seems to have avoided any major injury. It has been a dream start for Ward, who leads the majors in all three slash categories (.370/.481/.713) and has hit nine home runs over his first 131 plate appearances.
Does Austin Romine really still has a minor league option? Or was he just a temporary non-roster sub for Suzuki under the COVID rules?
Would it matter. Why would anyone want them.
The Angels don’t have a second baseman, 4th outfielder or any depth at catcher. It’s biting the Angels right now. Other than that, it’s a pretty good team.
Now that teams are 40+ games into the season and have assessed their strengths and weaknesses due to injury and performance, GMs will start looking beyond their organizations for reinforcements. I anticipate Perry will be busy the next couple of months and will not be surprised if he makes his first move in June.
Braves need a make a trade to get Suzuki back since Pina went down. Angels have got backup’s. Make deal for couple pitchers. A triple A and AA, some pitchers they didn’t draft.
Angels need Suzuki. When Sassi and Suzuki both went down, they had to play without a catcher. The two guys trying to catch for this team are awful.
Wallach and Romine didn’t do too bad. They didn’t cost the Angels any games.
@winslow I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Look at some of the outing the Angels have had since Stassi and Suzuki have been out. Thor, Iglesias, Tepera, Loup all had their worst outings of the year in this short stint.. How many times did Shohei have to shake off the catcher in the last outing? I think familiarity and comfort level matter more than you think. I think the road will be a little less bumpy once Stassi and Suzuki get back.
Detmers also had a no-hitter. And volatility in relievers isn’t exclusively due to the catcher.
Maybe purely coincidence,, but too many instances in a short period of time too be ignored. The Angels have blown 2 leads after leading after 8 innings in a week after going 80+ times without a loss when leading after 8. The pitch calls, pitch framing, how and when the catcher sets his target, it all makes a difference. We will see once Stassi gets back.
This dude thinks real life is just like MLB The Show with force trades on
Watch the “stinger” F up Wards swing and he becomes a 220 hitter.
Stassi is playing tonight and tomorrow in San Bernardino, for the 66ers. Archie Bradley is also playing tonight.
Where’s 11? Rengifo is outta control. He’s playing to loud. Oh my! Oh my! LOL!
11 is probably crying in his pillow. I hope when Fletch gets back they put him at 2B and leave him there. He should of won a Gold Glove last year.
you are absolutely right. fletcher is a good 2b. remember how many thought he was a great ss? even the baseball lifers thought he was a ss. that’s why they played him there. that’s what happens when the team doesn’t sign/trade for a true ss. instead, all we got were a few duds and a ‘defense first’ ss. and he is not even a reliable glove at ss. sure, he made a spectacular play or two. but he is a hole at the position. duds that play at 2b in the mean time all have negative value. and poor defense hurt pitching more than anything i saw some despair on some of them. i have no problems with the gm other than that this season though he was a donkey last season.
“He is not even a reliable glove at SS…” There is no more reliable SS in the AL than Vazquez. Thus far 5 DRS in 2022, projecting to 21 for the season.
But, yeah, call him a “dud” with your keen eye for talent.
whineondoomer strikes again. When are you going to realize your talent evaluation skills are about the size of an ant. Fletcher was fine at SS. Velazquez is just better defensively. There is also this thing called chemistry. Angels have it, and will get a boost once Stassi is back. There are numerous reasons why a team wins or loses. Least of which is one specific position. Ask the Rangers how happy they are with their middle infield right now. $57MM spent for the season versus Rengifo and Velazquez at minimum. Yes it is a small size, but those two have higher OPS’s than Semian and Seager combined.
Fletcher was fine at SS. He had 3 DRS in 54 inning played at SS.. Not bad at all. That is actually very good.
I agree with MrAngel, but would not touch the present SS as he was rated as the best defensive SS in the majors last I checked. With Rendon fully recovered and Fletcher at 2B and Stassi coming back , Ward, Walsh, Marsh make for a pretty good defensive unit.
@Tim I agree, I don’t see the Angels changing. I just wished Velazquez had a little more to offer at the plate. He numbers have gone up a bit since the first month of the season, but still a little bit too low. If he could just be a little more of a offensive presence, it would be good. Even if he just bunted better or struck out less, it would be at good thing..
Looks like Rengifo continues to perform at the plate. Dare I say he’s taken a step forward?
You can dare to say Rengifo has taken a step forward, but prepare for expert opinions to the contrary.
yes, i’m waiting for it.
Kid looks great!
My guess is if Canning has surgery, he’s done for the year. He’ll return to the minors in 2023 at age 27. That’s a shame.