Cam Bedrosian To Injured List With Forearm Strain
The Angels have announced that reliever Cam Bedrosian has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain. Bedrosian’s IL placement will be retroactive to Aug. 29. Righty Jose Rodriguez has been called up from Triple-A Salt Lake in a concurrent move.
This is certainly concerning news for Angels brass considering Bedrosian’s intimate relationship with injury–the 27-year-old pitcher had Tommy John surgery while in the minor leagues and saw his 2016 season end early with surgery to repair a blood clot in his arm.
Fortunately, Bedrosian indicated to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that this forearm strain does not feel similar to the one he experienced prior to his TJ surgery; Bedrosian also told Fletcher that he only expects to be shut down for about a week (link).
2019 had been a solid effort to date for the son of former big leaguer Steve Bedrosian. Across 61.1 innings, the righty has managed a 3.23 ERA supported by a healthy 9.39 K/9 mark and 3.23 BB/9 mark. Those numbers aren’t far off the career numbers he’s compiled over 263.0 frames since debuting in 2014 (3.76 ERA, 9.55 K/9, and 3.76 BB/9 career marks). Bedrosian is making $1.75MM this year in his second turn through arbitration.
Rodriguez, a 23-year-old rookie from Venezuela, will be making his third trip on the Anaheim taxi squad. In 5.2 Angel innings this year, Rodriguez has logged a 4.76 ERA–which actually represents far better results than he’s managed in Triple-A. In 61.2 PCL innings split between the bullpen and rotation, the righty has been tattooed to the tune of a 6.57 ERA and 5.38 FIP.
Angels Exercise 2020 Option Over GM Billy Eppler
The Angels have exercised a club option over general manager Billy Eppler for the 2020 season, according to Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). His original contract came with a four-year term, with the club option for another.
That decision leaves the front office under Eppler’s guidance for at least one more campaign. Unless further contract talks take place, however, he won’t enjoy a longer-term commitment.
Eppler, who was previously one of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman’s top lieutenants in New York, took over the Angels’ front office in October 2015. The franchise hasn’t achieved ideal on-field results since Eppler grabbed the reins, though, as it has finished below .500 in each of his years at the helm. At 64-71 in 2019, the Halos are on their way to another disappointing campaign in the standings, and they’re sure to extend their playoff drought to a half-decade.
Of course, it would be unfair to place the Angels’ current struggles solely at Eppler’s feet. The sudden passing of quality starter Tyler Skaggs back on July 1 has been among the reasons the Angels’ season has come off the rails. Most teams likely would’ve had difficulty carrying on in the wake of such a tragedy.
Skaggs looked like a long-term building block for the Angels’ rotation – a group that’s lacking in that department. Consequently, upgrading the team’s starting staff will perhaps be the chief objective for Eppler during the upcoming offseason. Eppler swung and missed in that category last offseason with the short-term signings of Matt Harvey (one year, $11MM) and Trevor Cahill (one year, $9MM). Harvey’s no longer on the club, which released him last month, while Cahill lost his starting job earlier in the season and hasn’t exactly been a lights-out reliever. Eppler acknowledged a few weeks ago that there are some strong starters set for free agency, so he may well go that route to ameliorate his roster.
Regardless of whether Eppler reels in any prominent free agents in the coming months, the return of right-hander Shohei Ohtani in 2020 should go a long way toward bettering the Halos’ rotation. Eppler’s signature free-agent signing to date, Ohtani hasn’t been able to pitch this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last October. Ohtani, Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning (a second-round pick of the Eppler regime in 2017) are among a few promising starting options for the Angels going forward.
The 25-year-old Ohtani’s also indispensable to the team’s offense, which makes the hurler/DH arguably the most unique player in baseball. He’s among a few excellent offensive complements to the top player in the sport, center fielder Mike Trout, whom Eppler inherited. However, it’s obviously a feather in Eppler’s cap that he was able to extend the future Hall of Famer to a record 10-year, $360MM contract prior to the season. The Angels haven’t capitalized on Trout’s presence yet, but considering he’s now in line to finish his career with the organization, there’s plenty of time for that to occur.
Trout could be joined in the Angels’ outfield next season by young outfielder Jo Adell, who’s among the majors’ elite prospects. Adell, the 10th overall pick of the Angels in 2017, is the face of a farm system that has made notable improvements during Eppler’s tenure. Eppler inherited a group of farmhands that ranked near the bottom of the league, but FanGraphs recently placed it 11th in the game.
There have clearly been hits and misses during Eppler’s run in Anaheim, but at least for now, deep-pocketed owner Arte Moreno believes the good outweighs the bad. It remains to be seen, though, whether the Angels will exercise the same patience with Eppler a year from now if there isn’t legitimate progress in the win-loss department.
Authorities Release Autopsy Report On Tyler Skaggs
The Tarrant County (Texas) medical examiner’s office has released a toxicology report regarding the untimely death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs. As Maria Torres and Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times report, the 27-year-old was determined to have died after imbibing a toxic combination of opioids and alcohol.
Specifically, the report found that Skaggs had taken the painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone. Thereafter, he died accidentally of “aspiration of gastric contents.”
The Skaggs family has issued a statement on the matter, which remains under investigation by the local police department. Attorney Rusty Hardin has been retained to look into things from the family’s perspective.
In addition to expressing surprise at the manner of death, the family revealed a troubling allegation. The statement reads: “We were shocked to learn that [Skaggs’s death] may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them.”
It is clear that there will be further examination and investigation of the circumstances leading to Skaggs’s death. An MLB spokesperson tells Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times (Twitter link) that the league had not been aware of any allegation of team involvement but will now investigate the matter. Beyond that, speculation would be unwise. It’s a tragedy regardless — one of many linked in recent years to the opioid epidemic.
Latest On Tommy La Stella
This has turned into another lost season for the Angels, who have slid to 64-70 and sit 13 games behind the second wild-card spot in the American League. Nevertheless, even when a team’s out of contention, it’s always a welcome sight when one of its top contributors is nearing a return from a long-term injury. That’s the case for infielder Tommy La Stella, whose dream season came to a halt July 3 after he suffered a brutal injury – a fractured tibia in his right leg. But La Stella’s now slated to take batting practice on the field for the first time Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com relays, adding that the 30-year-old is “hopeful” he’ll make it back during the Angels’ Sept. 9-15 homestand.
Before La Stella landed on the IL, he had emerged as one of baseball’s best low-cost pickups of last offseason. The Angels acquired La Stella from the Cubs for a meager return in late November, at which point he had combined to hit a useful but modest .264/.345/.366 with 10 home runs in 947 plate appearances between Chicago and Atlanta. This year’s version of La Stella has been vastly superior to the player who showed up from 2014-18.
Since joining the Angels, the lefty-swinging La Stella has slashed .300/.353/.495 with 16 HRs across 312 trips to the plate, owing in part to a remarkable ability to avoid strikeouts. The first-time All-Star has gone down on strikes just 8.7 percent of the time this season, making him a key reason why the Halos’ offense boasts the game’s second-lowest K rate. While La Stella hasn’t packed a wallop on the many occasions he has made contact (his average exit velocity of 87.9 mph and hard-hit rate rank near the bottom of the league, per Statcast), he has nonetheless mustered a respectable .352 expected weighted on-base average that almost matches his real wOBA of .362.
Along with breaking out at the plate, La Stella has provided the Angels 30-plus appearances at both second and third. And he could again serve as a versatile and affordable part of their roster next season. La Stella’s scheduled to go through arbitration for the final time in the offseason, when he’ll collect a raise on this year’s relatively cheap $1.35MM salary. Barring changes over the winter, La Stella may rejoin David Fletcher to comprise the Angels’ primary options at second and third in 2020.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/28/19
Here are the latest minor moves from around the game …
- Outfielder Aaron Altherr was outrighted recently by the Mets after he was designated for assignment, per the International League transactions page. Altherr has the requisite service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, but doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of this season’s $1.35MM salary. It’s been a brutal season for Altherr, who has gone just 5-for-61 with five walks through 66 plate appearances between the Phillies, Giants and Mets. As a player with three-plus years of service who’s been removed from the 40-man roster, Altherr will have the right to become a free agent and explore the open market this winter.
- The Blue Jays have released swingman Nick Kingham after he cleared waivers following his own DFA, also per the International League transactions page. Kingham was on the injured list when he was designated for assignment, and injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers. With August trades eliminated, the only possible outcome for Kingham was to be released by the Jays. The former top prospect has tallied 55 2/3 frames between Pittsburgh and Toronto this season but been clobbered for a 7.28 ERA with a 46-to-25 K/BB ratio and 11 home runs allowed in that time.
- Southpaw Adam McCreery was released recently by the Angels, per Baseball America’s most recent transactions report. He had originally been outrighted after being designated for assignment. McCreery is a 26-year-old reliever who has a single MLB appearance under his belt. This year, he owns a 3.63 ERA in 44 2/3 Triple-A innings, with 50 strikeouts against 28 walks. He’s averaged 11.3 K/9 throughout parts of six minor league seasons but has never been able to limit free passes at a sufficient rate.
- Also per Baseball America, the Royals have signed lefty Jake Brentz after he was released by the Pirates. Brentz, 24, is a former 11th-round pick who had spent the past several seasons in the Pittsburgh organization. Bentz has a history of swings and misses along with struggles with free passes. In 50 1/3 total innings in the upper minors this year, including three with his new team, he owns a 4.47 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9.
Angels Sign Luiz Gohara
The Angels have signed former Braves left-hander Luiz Gohara to a minor league contract, Roster Roundup reports.
Gohara had been on the open market since the Braves released him Aug. 2, which came shortly after they designated him for assignment. It came as a surprise at the time that Atlanta decided to cut ties with Gohara, who was once a high-ranking prospect with the organization. However, physical problems have undermined the 23-year-old this season. A shoulder issue has prevented Gohara from taking the mound since 2018, and he won’t pitch at all this year as a result of the injury.
Last season was difficult at both the major and minor league levels for Gohara, but he did show positive signs in 2017. Gohara debuted in the majors that year and tossed 29 1/3 innings (five starts) of 4.91 ERA/2.75 FIP ball with 9.51 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9, averaging 96 mph on his fastball in the process. He also amassed 123 2/3 frames of 2.62 ERA pitching and notched 10.7 K/9 with 3.2 BB/9 across three levels in the minors.
Regardless of whether Gohara’s able to return to his old form, it’s worth it from the pitcher-needy Angels’ perspective to take a risk-free flier on him. The out-of-contention club figures to place a great deal of emphasis this offseason on improving its staff heading into 2020, when Gohara might be able to help its cause.
Keynan Middleton Returns From Tommy John Surgery
The Angels announced this evening that hard-throwing right-hander Keynan Middleton has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Fellow righty Taylor Cole was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake to open a spot on the active roster, and the Angels had space on the 40-man roster to accommodate the move.
Middleton, 25, carved out a spot for himself in the Angels’ bullpen with a solid rookie showing in 2017 when he pitched 58 1/3 innings of 3.86 ERA ball. While he was homer-prone that year (1.70 HR/9), Middleton averaged 96.8 mph on his heater to go along with 9.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. His 16.7 percent swinging-strike rate was tied for eighth-best among 155 qualified MLB relievers, and he looked every bit the part of a long-term piece for the Angels’ relief corps.
The early returns on Middleton in 2018 did nothing to sway that line of thinking. In fact, despite his relatively minimal MLB experience, Middleton ascended to the closer’s role by mid April. He’d tallied six saves and pitched to a 2.04 ERA with 16 strikeouts against nine walks before being shelved due to inflammation in his elbow. He returned after a minimal absence and made three appearances before again going down with elbow discomfort, at which point damage to his ulnar collateral ligament was discovered. He underwent Tommy John surgery in late May.
Middleton’s results down the stretch will certainly be worth monitoring with a watchful eye. He’s allowed just one run on four hits and six walks with 16 strikeouts in nine minor league rehab innings, and a return to his 2017-18 form would give the Angels reason to be optimistic about the back of their ‘pen headed into 2020. While GM Billy Eppler and his staff will surely make some additions regardless, lining up Middleton with Ty Buttrey, Cam Bedrosian and Hansel Robles would be a strong foundation for a bullpen. The latter three of that quartet have all enjoyed strong seasons to date and remain under control into at least 2020.
Although Middleton has appeared in just 80 big league games and pitched a total of 76 innings, he’ll be eligible for arbitration this winter. Middleton entered the year with one year, 150 days of big league service and will accumulate a full season in 2019 after spending the year to date on the Major League injured list. As such, he’ll wrap up the year with 2.150 years of MLB service time, making him a lock to qualify for Super Two designation. His raise will likely be a modest one given the missed time in 2018-19, but the foundation for his future raises will nevertheless be a bit stronger than that of a typical arb-eligible player.
Angels Outright Wilfredo Tovar
The Angels have outrighted infielder Wilfredo Tovar, per a team announcement. He was recently designated for assignment.
Tovar, 28, had briefly appeared in the bigs earlier in his career but had just nine games under his belt when called upon earlier this season by the Halos. He ended up appearing in 31 games with the Los Angeles organization, all at the shortstop position.
Unfortunately, the results just weren’t there. Tovar slashed just .193/.239/.253 in 88 plate appearances. Through nearly two thousand career trips to the dish at the Triple-A level, the defensive specialist owns a .277/.324/.367 batting line.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/26/19
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- Former major league utilityman Ty Kelly retired over the weekend, he humorously announced on Twitter (h/t: Jon Heyman of MLB Network). Kelly ended his career as a member of the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake after signing a minor league contract with the organization last winter. A 13th-round pick of the Orioles in 2009, Kelly ultimately saw major league action with the Mets and Phillies from 2016-18 – a 188-plate appearance span in which he batted .203/.288/.323 and racked up time at first, second, third and all three outfield positions. The 31-year-old wrapped up his Triple-A tenure with a .268/.368/.382 line across 2,353 trips to the plate.
Angels Activate Andrelton Simmons, Designate Wilfredo Tovar
The Angels announced today that star shortstop Andrelton Simmons has been activated from the injured list. He is returning from a long absence due to a severe ankle sprain.
Infielder Wilfredo Tovar was designated for assignment to create roster space. In other news, the club officially placed Griffin Canning on the injured list — he was declared out for the season yesterday — while recalling southpaw Jose Suarez.
It’s all but certainly too little, too late for the sinking Halos. But it’s still good to see Simmons return to action. The peerless defensive aficionado hadn’t been hitting quite as well as he did in his prior two campaigns, but will now have a chance to get back on track before the season wraps up.
Tovar, 28, received his lengthiest stint in the majors this year for the Angels. Through 88 plate appearances in 31 games, he managed only a .193/.239/.253 slash line.