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Injury Notes: J. Iglesias, J. Castro, Luplow, Ruf

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The latest injury notes from around baseball…

  • The Angels have placed shortstop Jose Iglesias on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, the team announced. Iglesias, whom the Angels acquired from the Orioles in the offseason, has batted .283/.317/.396 with four home runs and two stolen bases over 167 plate appearances. He hasn’t started since May 25, leaving shortstop to David Fletcher.
  • The Astros have put catcher Jason Castro on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 25) with left Achilles soreness and recalled backstop Garrett Stubbs, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. Castro, who opened his career with the Astros from 2010-16, rejoined the team on a two-year, $7MM guarantee during the offseason. The deal looked good for the Astros before Castro’s IL placement, considering he has hit .271/.397/.479, though he has only taken 59 plate appearances while playing second fiddle to Martin Maldonado.
  • The Indians sent outfielder Jordan Luplow to the IL on Friday with an ankle issue, according to the team. It’s a problem Luplow has been dealing with since spring training, and manager Terry Francona said the club is “trying to figure it out” (via the Associated Press).  The 27-year-old Luplow is off to a .165/.325/.433 start with seven home runs in 121 plate appearances. Despite the low BA, Luplow’s production has been 13 percent better than average, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric.
  • The Giants will go three to four weeks without first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf, Kerry Crowley of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Ruf went on the 10-day IL list on Thursday with a strained right hamstring, joining fellow first baseman Brandon Belt on the shelf. Both players have recorded well-above-average production this season, but the Giants will have to go without the pair for at least a couple weeks. They started LaMonte Wade Jr. at first base on Friday.

Mickey Callaway Placed On Ineligible List Through At Least 2022

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Major League Baseball has placed Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway on its ineligible list through at least the 2022 season, commissioner Rob Manfred announced. The league made the decision after investigating Callaway for harassment allegations that were levied against him. The Angels have fired Callaway, per a team announcement. Maanfred issued the following statement on his ruling:

My office has completed its investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Mickey Callaway.  Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Callaway violated MLB’s policies, and that placement on the Ineligible List is warranted.  We want to thank the many people who cooperated with our Department of Investigations (DOI) in their work, which spanned Mr. Callaway’s positions with three different Clubs.  The Clubs that employed Mr. Callaway each fully cooperated with DOI, including providing emails and assisting with identifying key witnesses.  Harassment has no place within Major League Baseball, and we are committed to providing an appropriate work environment for all those involved in our game.

The allegations against Callaway first came to light in a report from Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic, who explained that five women in sports media accused him of lewd behavior. The Angels subsequently suspended Callaway, and Ghiroli, Strang and colleague Ken Rosenthal soon reported that even more women had come forward to make allegations against Callaway. In one case, Callaway was said to carry on an extramarital affair with a woman whose husband found out and made Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff aware. The husband also reportedly contacted another of Callaway’s former employers, the Mets, to make a complaint, but nothing was done back then.

In response to the reports, Callaway admitted in March to multiple “infidelities” but maintained that some of the reporting was “inaccurate.” He also denied using his position to harass women, but MLB concluded otherwise during its lengthy investigation. Now, Callaway is facing a year-plus ban, and it seems hard to believe any MLB team will hire him when he’s eligible to return.

West Notes: Belt, Bellinger, Gonzales, Pomeranz, Adell

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The Giants are placing first baseman Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list with a mild left oblique strain and recalling infielder Jason Vosler, per manager Gabe Kapler (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Kapler doesn’t expect Belt to miss more than 10 to 14 days, and in the meantime, Darin Ruf will get the lion’s share of playing time at first base. Even a short absence for Belt could be a tough blow for the contending Giants, though, considering he’s off to a .228/.350/.447 start with eight home runs in 137 plate appearances. However, Ruf has also hit well – albeit over a smaller sample of 97 PA – with a .228/.361/.506 line and six long balls.

  • The Dodgers are hopeful that slugger Cody Bellinger will return from the injured list on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts told Juan Toribio of MLB.com and other reporters. Los Angeles has gone nearly the entire season without Bellinger, who suffered a hairline fracture in his left leg and hasn’t played since April 5. Nevertheless, the reigning World Series champions have more than held their own in Bellinger’s absence, having won eight straight to improve to 30-18.
  • Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales, out since April with a forearm strain, is making progress and could come back during the team’s upcoming homestand (May 27-June 2), per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. Gonzales was one of the top starters in the league year, but he’s off to a rough beginning this season between the injury and his performance. Before going on the IL, Gonzales recorded a surprisingly poor 5.40 ERA/4.87 SIERA in 28 1/3 innings, and his walk rate skyrocketed compared to 2020. He issued walks just 2.5 percent of the time then, but he’s up to 9.1 now.
  • Padres reliever Drew Pomeranz has suffered a setback in his recovery from a left shoulder impingement, manager Jayce Tingler announced to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com and other reporters. The Padres will shut Pomeranz down from throwing for about a week and then decide how to proceed. Unfortunately, injuries have been a common problem since Pomeranz’s career began in 2011. When healthy, though, he has been a revelation for the Padres since they inked him to a four-year, $34MM contract before 2020. Dating back to then, the 32-year-old has registered a 1.67 ERA with a highly impressive 38 percent strikeout rate in 32 1/3 innings, including 13 2/3 this season.
  • Despite his encouraging start to the season at the Triple-A level, the Angels have not recalled top outfield prospect Jo Adell. That doesn’t look as if it’s going to change imminently, as general manager Perry Minasian said Tuesday (via Bill Shaikin of the LA Times): “He’s making some strides. He’s not there yet.” While the 22-year-old Adell has hit a power-packed .266/.326/.696 with 10 home runs in 86 plate appearances, he has posted a high strikeout rate of 33.7 percent at the same time. Strikeouts have been an issue over the past few years for Adell, including during his major league debut last season. He fanned in 41.7 percent of his 132 PA then and batted a woeful .161/.212/.266.

West Notes: Angels, Adell, Mariners, France, Diamondbacks, Widener

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Angels manager Joe Maddon spoke with his GM Perry Minasian about potentially turning to top prospect Jo Adell in the wake of Mike Trout’s injury, per Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times (via Twitter). Ultimately, the Angels feel Adell needs more development time and that takes precedence to the team’s need in the short-term. Adell has hit .246/.319/.631 in Triple-A, but his strikeout rate remains disconcertingly high at 36.1 percent. Elsewhere out west…

  • Ty France could be back as early as tomorrow for the Mariners, per Corey Brock of the Athletic (via Twitter). Left wrist inflammation sent France to the injured list in the middle of May. France has walked at a career-best 10.5 percent rate in 153 plate appearances this season, but his numbers have otherwise been a touch down from last year. Still, despite a .278 BABIP and .137 ISO, both of which should rebound at least a touch, France has still been five percent better than average with the bat. If he’s not back on Tuesday, the Mariners regardless expect him to return at some point in their series against Oakland.
  • Taylor Widener was removed from his start today with right groin discomfort, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Widener had just been activated from the injured list after a groin injury, so this is certainly an unwelcome development for the right-hander. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings before handing the ball to the bullpen. The bullpen did a nice job keeping the Diamondbacks in the game, but they ultimately lost 4-3 to the Rockies, their eighth straight loss.

Angels Select Dillon Peters

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The Angels announced that they have selected left-hander Dillon Peters and optioned righty Jaime Barria. The club outrighted Peters last winter.

The 28-year-old Peters appeared in the majors during the previous four seasons with the Marlins and Angels. Peters has recorded a 5.83 ERA/5.22 SIERA with a 16.7 percent strikeout rate and a 9.9 percent walk rate over 132 2/3 big league frames. He has also had trouble at the Triple-A level, where he has logged a 6.15 ERA in 169 2/3 innings.

Mike Trout To Miss 6-8 Weeks With Calf Strain

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In devastating news for the Angels, superstar center fielder Mike Trout will miss six to eight weeks as a result of the right calf strain he suffered Monday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. The Angels have placed Trout on the 10-day injured list and recalled lefty Jose Quijada to take his spot on the roster for the time being.

It couldn’t get much worse than this for the Angels, who again haven’t been able to capitalize on Trout’s excellence this year. Already mired in a six-year playoff drought, the Angels are off to a subpar 18-22 start despite Trout’s best efforts. The 29-year-old future Hall of Famer has slashed .333./.466/.624 with eight home runs over 146 plate appearances, and he leads all qualified position players in wRC+ (199) and fWAR (2.5).

Unfortunately, this will go down as another injury-shortened year for Trout, who after averaging 158 games per season from 2013-16 averaged just 129 games from 2017-19. Trout also missed seven games in the shortened 2020 season, which amounts to roughly 12 percent of the season.

As a result of this news, baseball fans won’t have the privilege of watching Trout again until July or later, and his absence will obviously weaken the Angels’ lineup to a significant extent. There’s simply no realistic way to suitably replace Trout, the game’s preeminent player for several years. The Halos have used Scott Schebler and Juan Lagares in center when Trout hasn’t played this year, but they pale in comparison to the eight-time All-Star and three-time MVP.

The Angels do a pair of touted outfield prospects in Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh, either of whom could come up with Trout unavailable, though that’s unlikely to happen in the immediate future, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. Adell has fanned 21 times in 57 Triple-A plate appearances (36.8 percent), while Marsh has still only logged six total games in Triple-A to this point in his career. While he’s 6-for-22 with a trio of extra-base hits in that time, Marsh has punched out nine times in 29 plate appearances (31 percent), and it seems the Angels feel he could yet benefit from additional development time.

Angels Moves: Ramirez, Jay

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The Angels announced that right-handed reliever Noe Ramirez has cleared waivers and elected free agency. The Halos also outrighted outfielder Jon Jay, who will go to Triple-A Salt Lake, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets.

The Angels designated Ramirez for assignment on Sunday, less than a week after selecting his contract on May 11. The 31-year-old, also a former Red Sox, has appeared in the majors with the Angels in each season since 2017. The Angels traded him to the Reds last winter in a deal revolving around fellow reliever Raisel Iglesias, but Cincinnati quickly cut ties with Ramirez, who then re-signed with the Halos. He has recorded a 4.20 ERA/3.74 SIERA with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate against an 8.8 percent walk rate in 214 1/3 major league innings, including 3 1/3 frames this season.

The Angels have designated Jay for assignment twice since April. The 36-year-old has only totaled 14 plate appearances with the club this season, though he may be more likely to receive an extended chance with center fielder Mike Trout battling a calf strain that will keep him out until at least July.

Mike Trout Suffers Right Calf Strain

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Angels center fielder Mike Trout left their game against the Indians on Monday with a right calf strain, the team announced.  He exited after just one inning and was replaced by Juan Lagares.

This hopefully won’t lead to a stint on the injured list for Trout, who has been in typically great form to begin the season. The 29-year-old has batted .333./.466/.624 with eight home runs in 146 plate appearances.

There would be no way for the Angels to effectively replace Trout, a future Hall of Famer, for an extended span. Trout aside, the Angels have used Scott Schebler – whom they outrighted earlier this month – and Lagares at center this season. It goes without saying that those two pale in comparison to Trout.

Angels Designate Noe Ramirez For Assignment

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The Angels announced they’ve designated reliever Noé Ramirez for assignment. The move clears space on the active and 40-man rosters for Hunter Strickland, who has been activated after being acquired from the Rays yesterday.

Ramirez has pitched for Los Angeles over the past four seasons. He was a durable, generally productive reliever in the middle innings from 2018-20, working to a 4.13 ERA/4.20 FIP across 172 innings. The Angels traded Ramirez to the Reds over the winter as part of the Raisel Iglesias deal.

The 31-year-old had a very rough Spring Training with Cincinnati, leading the Reds to cut him loose before the start of the season. Ramirez promptly returned to the Angels’ organization on a minor league deal and was selected to the roster earlier this week. The veteran righty went on to make two appearances, allowing a pair of runs on five hits with a walk and no strikeouts through 3 1/3 innings.

Los Angeles will now have a week to trade or waive Ramirez. As a player with more than three years of MLB service, Ramirez has the right to refuse a minor league assignment in favor of free agency if he clears outright waivers, although doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary for this season.

Angels Acquire Hunter Strickland

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The Rays have traded right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland to the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Tampa Bay will receive cash considerations or a player to be named later in return, per an announcement from the Angels.

The 32-year-old Strickland joined the Rays on a minor league contract over the winter, and he wound up holding his own during his short stint with the club after it promoted him in early April. Strickland bounced back from a rough two years divided among the Mariners, Nationals and Mets to log a meager 1.69 ERA (with a less spectacular 3.76 SIERA) across 16 innings and post a 24.2 percent strikeout rate against a 9.1 percent walk rate as a Ray.

Strickland will now return to California, where he spent the first five years of his career in San Francisco. Over 226 frames as a Giant from 2014-18, Strickland recorded a 2.91 ERA/3.80 SIERA with a 22.6 percent strikeout rate and an 8.4 percent walk rate. Production along those lines (or the type of numbers he put up as a Ray) would be welcome for the Angels, whose bullpen has struggled mightily during their 16-21 start. Angels relievers own both the majors’ fourth-worst ERA (5.32) and K-BB percentage (10.7).

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