Griffin Canning

Angels righty Griffin Canning will receive “biological injections” to treat his ailing elbow, the team announced and MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger was among those to cover on Twitter. The team says he’ll be “reassessed in three to four weeks.”

This news still leaves some mystery as to the underlying condition and to Canning’s outlook. But it confirms that he’ll be sidelined for a lengthy stretch, as had already become clear of late.

Clearly there’s still hope of avoiding an invasive procedure. But the Halos will assuredly need to bring Canning along cautiously even if these injections prove effective. It’ll be hard for the team to presume much of anything about his availability in 2020.

Canning had a strong debut showing in 2019 but ended the season earlier with elbow woes. Unfortunately, they followed him into camp.

While the Halos did add two notable arms to their rotation, trading for Dylan Bundy and signing Julio Teheran, the rotation remains an area of weakness on paper. The Angels do have some options on hand, but they’ll need a few hurlers to establish or reestablish themselves as quality big league starters. For what it’s worth, they’ve shown well collectively to this point in camp, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register notes on Twitter.

Ongoing elbow questions have clouded the outlook of Angels righty Griffin Canning. The team isn’t quite ready to announce a decision on a course of action, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports on Twitter.

Canning was previously said to be slated for testing today. Now, he’s scheduled for a second opinion — though there’s still no public knowledge (quite understandably) regarding the initial examination.

The 23-year-old hurler emerged as a key part of the Halos’ rotation plans last year. But he also ended the season on the injured list owing to elbow troubles and has dealt with other issues in the joint in the past.

The Angels rotation remains a point of focus after a trying 2019 campaign. Even if Canning avoids a significant stay on the injury list, it now seems he’ll join Shohei Ohtani on the injured list to open the 2020 season.

10:10am: Canning spoke with reporters about his injury and took a positive tone, suggesting that he feels the injury is little more than “normal wear and tear” and likening the issue to one that sidelined him last August (Twitter thread via Fletcher). The MRI did not reveal any tearing of the ulnar collateral ligament. Still, the “chronic changes” referenced by the team will be the subject of further testing.

February 28, 8:45am: The Angels announced that Canning’s MRI revealed “chronic changes to the UCL and acute joint irritation” in his right elbow. No immediate treatment or timetable was provided, as the organization has scheduled further tests and evaluation over the “next couple days.”

February 27: In an all-too-familiar bit of ominous news for Angels fans, manager Joe Maddon revealed today that right-hander Griffin Canning is headed for an MRI to examine his right elbow (Twitter link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). Canning felt something abnormal during yesterday’s Cactus League outing, per Maddon, who acknowledged some organizational concern regarding the injury.

The Angels’ pitching staff has been decimated by injury in recent seasons, and that litany of pitcher injuries only makes the Canning scenario feel all the more foreboding. Canning, after all, is one of the club’s most promising young arms and has been expected to play a key role on the 2020 staff. The 23-year-old was a second-round pick out of UCLA back in 2017 and entered the 2019 campaign as a consensus top 100 prospect in the game. Canning parlayed a trio of dominant Triple-A starts into his first call to the Majors, going on to toss 90 1/3 frames with a 4.58 ERA (4.37 FIP), 9.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and 1.39 HR/9. He was slowed by inflammation in his right elbow along the way, however.

The Halos entered the offseason with their sights set on adding a top-end talent to the rotation but instead signed Anthony Rendon to bolster the lineup and defense after missing out on Gerrit Cole. Anaheim did sign free agent righty Julio Teheran and acquire right-hander Dylan Bundy from the Orioles with the goal of adding that duo to a rotation mix that also included Canning, Andrew Heaney and (in mid-May) a returning Shohei Ohtani.

If Canning misses any time, though, the Angels will be looking at an Opening Day rotation consisting of Heaney, Teheran (assuming his hamstring issue does indeed prove minor) and Bundy, with little certainty beyond that. Patrick Sandoval, Jaime Barria, Dillon Peters and Jose Suarez are all on the 40-man roster and all have some MLB experience, but that’s a highly unproven quartet. Swingman Matt Andriese, acquired from the D-backs, could be stretched out for starting duties during camp as well; he spent the entire ’19 season in the Arizona bullpen but does have 49 starts at the big league level under his belt (all but one coming with the Rays).

The Angels announced today that they have shut down rookie right-hander Griffin Canning. He’s said to be dealing with mild inflammation in his right elbow.

That general diagnosis was already known. Canning was placed on the injured list yesterday. What wasn’t clear then is the newly announced course of action, which is obviously intended to avoid any further problems down the stretch.

The team did not expressly specify in its announcement whether there is any concern regarding underlying structural issues. But some reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link), have suggested that’s the appropriate interpretation of the comment. If so, that’s rather promising news for an important organizational asset.

Regardless, it’s a disappointing and all-too-familiar way for the season to end for a Halos hurler. The club has endured a seemingly endless array of injuries to starters in recent seasons.

Canning won’t wrap things up as hoped, but he still turned in an impressive initial showing. After three outstanding starts at Triple-A, he worked to a 4.58 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 90 1/3 MLB innings. Canning proved he can induce whiffs in the majors, sporting a 13.8% swinging-strike rate, and seems likely to be a quality and cost-controlled big league starter for years to come — so long as he can stay healthy.

TODAY: The Angels announced that left-hander Jose Suarez will be recalled from Triple-A to start Friday’s game against the Astros.

YESTERDAY: The Angels have placed right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. It’s the same issue that landed the 23-year-old rookie on the injured list in early August.

As Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times notes, manager Brad Ausmus was unable to say whether the latest injury would mark the end of Canning’s season. The Angels skipper went on to characterize the injury as only “mild inflammation,” telling reporters (including Fletcher) that there are “no concerns that it’s anything more than inflammation.”

Amid a frustrating season for the Angels, Canning has been one of the few bright spots, especially in a pitching staff that has endured more than its fair share of injuries. Despite debuting at the end of April, Canning leads the team in games started, pitching 90 1/3 innings in the Majors. He’s worked to 4.58 ERA while striking out 96 batters—while his numbers aren’t stellar, Canning offers considerable value to a team, and at just 23, there’s certainly room for more here.

Per Torres, Canning will undergo an MRI after returning to Los Angeles. Indeed, it may be wise for the Angels to exercise caution with their promising youngster. With their playoff hopes all but erased, there’s a case to be made that Canning should be shut down in hopes of preventing any further injury to his throwing elbow. Ausmus and general manager Billy Eppler have been careful to manage Canning’s workload in his debut season: he’s approaching the 113 1/3 inning mark he totaled last season.