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Angels Reinstate Andrew Heaney, Option Jaime Barria

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The Angels have reinstated left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney from the injured list, per an official club announcement. Heaney will start Sunday’s game against the Rangers in his season debut. To make room for Heaney on the active roster, right-hander Jaime Barria has been optioned to Triple-A.

The 27-year-old Heaney is prepared to make his 2019 season debut, which couldn’t come sooner for the struggling Angels—the team’s own starting pitching has perhaps been the most substantial impediment to the Halos’ postseason aspirations. On Sunday, though, the club will welcome back Heaney, who enjoyed a breakout 2018, which marked the first time in his Major League career that the injury-riddled southpaw was able to make 30 starts in a season.

Last year, Heaney struck out 180 batters in as many innings, leading many to express optimism that he could anchor the 2019 Angels rotation, a development that has been years in the making due to Heaney’s injury-marred past, which included a Tommy John surgery that cost him most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons. For that reason, the elbow issues that landed him on the IL to open this season were that much more troubling. However, Heaney has served his time and is in position to provide a considerable boost to an Angels team that has endured more than its fair share of health-related misfortune.

Barria, who will go the minors, has kicked in 14 1/3 innings for the Halos, mostly coming out of the bullpen. Following a rookie season in which he posted a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts, Barria has worked out of a long-relief role this year, though he has gotten work as a starter in Triple-A Salt Lake, where he has a 6.58 ERA in 5 games.

Angels Place Matt Harvey On Injured List

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The Angels announced that right-hander Matt Harvey is heading to the 10-day injured list with an upper back strain. In other moves, the Angels recalled righty Taylor Cole from Triple-A Salt Lake, optioned reliever Luke Bard and reinstated reliever Luis Garcia from the IL.

Harvey’s injury continues what has been a disastrous campaign for the ex-Met and Red, whom the Angels signed to a one-year, $11MM guarantee in the offseason. Early in his Mets stint, Harvey was among the game’s brightest stars. However, he suffered multiple significant arm injuries as his New York tenure progressed and hasn’t been much more than a back-end starter in recent seasons.

To Harvey’s credit, after the Reds acquired him from the Mets last May, he pitched well enough to lock in a decent payday with the Angels. But the move hasn’t paid off at all for Los Angeles, which has seen the 30-year-old average fewer than five innings over his 10 starts and pitch to a horrid 7.50 ERA/6.11 FIP with 6.56 K/9 against 3.94 BB/9 across 48 frames. Among pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings this season, Harvey ranks last in ERA, sixth worst in fWAR (minus-0.3) and 11th from the bottom in K/BB ratio (1.67).

Fortunately for the Angels, they’re set to welcome back Andrew Heaney to take Harvey’s place in their rotation. Heaney hasn’t pitched yet this season on account of elbow inflammation, but he was one of the Angels’ most effective starters a year ago. If his 2018 performance is any indication, Heaney should be an easy upgrade over Harvey.

Angels To Activate Andrew Heaney; Latest On Justin Upton

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The Angels will activate lefty Andrew Heaney for his first action of the season, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was among those to cover (Twitter links). He’ll take the ball Sunday after opening the season in the injured list due to elbow inflammation.

Though he’s a bit further off, outfielder Justin Upton can now begin working in earnest toward his own activation. His turf toe injury has healed to the point that he can “run on 100 percent of his weight” and participate in batting practice and outfield work on the field.

It’s nice to see some positive health news for the Halos, who have become accustomed to crushing blows in recent years. Unfortunately, the team just sent shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the injured list with a significant ankle injury.

Heaney, who’ll soon turn 28, had Tommy John surgery in July of 2016. It was quite promising, then, to see him turn in thirty starts and 180 innings of 4.15 ERA pitching last year. And the elbow issues that cropped up this spring were all the more concerning.

Though he has only made one formal rehab start, it was quite a good one. Heaney allowed just two hits and a walk while racking up ten strikeouts in 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the club’s top affiliate. Hopefully, he can build off of that showing and give a boost to a beleaguered rotation.

Heaney is earning $3.4MM this season. He’s eligible for arbitration twice more, with free agency beckoning after the 2021 campaign.

Andrelton Simmons Diagnosed With Grade 3 Ankle Sprain

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TODAY: Simmons updated Hoornstra (Twitter links) and other reporters on his status today, including the good news that surgery won’t be required.  Once the swelling around the ankle goes down in another week or two, Simmons and the team will have a better sense of how long it will be before the shortstop is able to return to action.

TUESDAY, 6:57pm: Simmons, moving around the clubhouse on crutches, didn’t have a timeline for his return when asked by reporters, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets. MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets that the typical recovery timeline would range from eight to 12 weeks, but the Angels won’t know for certain until tomorrow.

4:42pm: The Angels announced that shortstop Andrelton Simmons has been diagnosed with a Grade 3 ankle sprain and been placed on the 10-day injured list. He’ll see a specialist tomorrow, after which the team will provide more details on his expected timeline. However, a Grade 3 sprain is severe (indicating a ligament tear), so Simmons will quite likely be on the shelf for an extended period of time. Luis Rengifo is up from Triple-A Salt Lake to take his spot on the active roster.

It’s a huge blow for the Angels, who saw both Simmons and Shohei Ohtani exit last night’s game due to injury. Thankfully, there’s better news on Ohtani, who is feeling better today after being hit by a pitch last night. He’s in the lineup for the Angels tonight.

The 29-year-old Simmons, in addition to long being known as perhaps baseball’s premier defensive player, has progressed offensively in recent seasons as well. He’d been out to a .298/.323/.415 start with three home runs, 13 doubles and five steals through his first 195 plate appearances on the year. That’s a tough all-around asset for any team to lose, and Simmons’ absence will be felt all the more by an Angels club that is also still without left fielder Justin Upton in the middle of its lineup.

The Angels entered the season with aspirations of returning to the postseason for the first time since a 2014 trip to the American League Division Series (where they lost to the Royals). But between injuries to key players such as Upton and Andrew Heaney and poor performances from offseason rotation additions like Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill and Chris Stratton (now with the Pirates), the Angels find themselves three games under .500 (22-25) and already nine and a half games back of the Astros in the American League West. The team’s three-and-a-half game deficit in the American League Wild Card race is far more manageable, but the loss of Simmons will obviously further lessen their chances.

Angels Select Dustin Garneau’s Contract, Place Kevan Smith On 7-Day Concussion IL

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The Angels have selected the contract of catcher Dustin Garneau from Triple-A, the team announced.  Garneau will take the spot of backup catcher Kevan Smith, who has been placed on the seven-day version of the injured list due to a concussion.  No additional roster move was necessary, as the Angels had an open 40-man roster spot.

Smith left last night’s game in the fifth inning after taking a C.J. Cron foul tip off his mask.  Selected off waivers from the White Sox roster last fall, Smith has played quite well in his first season with the Angels, hitting .290/.397/.435 over 73 plate appearances.  Between Smith’s strong numbers and Jonathan Lucroy’s comeback season, the Halos have been receiving both good production and good pitch-framing behind the plate.

Garneau inked a minors deal with Los Angeles over the offseason, and will look to at least get a bit more Major League action than he did in 2018, when he appeared in just a single game for the White Sox.  Garneau, 31, has a .194/.269/.321 slash line over 280 career plate appearances for the White Sox, A’s, and Rockies over the last four seasons.

Jo Adell Hires Boras Corporation

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Top Angels prospect Jo Adell has hired the Boras Corporatino to represent him, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). As always, you can find the latest agency information in MLBTR’s Agency Database.

Adell was chosen tenth overall in the 2017 draft. When he inked a deal that came with a $4,376,800 bonus, the consensus was that Adell would need a fair amount of time to hone his evident tools into MLB-ready skills.

As it turns out, Adell has moved much more quickly than anticipated. He finished the 2018 season at the Double-A level despite spending his entire first pro campaign at rookie ball.

The 20-year-old’s progress has made him one of the game’s best-graded overall prospects. Baseball Prospectus was especially bullish, ranking him second among all pre-MLB players leaguewide.

Unfortunately, Adell still hasn’t started his 2019 campaign owing to an ankle and hamstring injury suffered this spring. While he could resume his swift rise in short order, Adell likely won’t have a chance at forcing his way onto the MLB roster until relatively late in the 2019 season — if at all.

Andrelton Simmons Suffers Ankle Injury; Ohtani Pulled After HBP

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Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons departed last night’s game with an ankle injury. Fortunately, x-rays were negative, but he has at a minimum suffered a “very bad sprain,” Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report on Twitter.

At the moment, there’s no way to know what kind of absence might be anticipated. Simmons is due for an MRI today that will surely give a fuller picture of the damage incurred. He appeared to torque the joint quite forcefully after lunging to first base in an attempt to beat a throw.

The Halos also saw DH Shohei Ohtani leave the game in the same inning. He was struck by a pitch in the right hand. X-rays were also negative in his case, with manager Brad Ausmus indicating that his injury was of lesser concern.

It’s already a tough spot for the Angels, who sit three games below .500 and 9.5 back of the heavyweight Astros. With Justin Upton still sidelined and the rotation still scuffling, it’s tough to see a path to even Wild Card contention that doesn’t involve a huge performance from Simmons, Ohtani, and the peerless Mike Trout.

Fortunately, the club does seem to have the ability to shift some pieces around to cover for any absences. Zack Cozart is probably the most gifted shortstop in the world that doesn’t play that position for a MLB team, so he can slide over there with David Fletcher and Tommy La Stella sharing second and third base. If the team wants another lefty bat to go with Jared Walsh, it can recall Justin Bour.

Health Notes: Tatis Jr., Upton, Price, Diaz, K. Davis

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The Padres are hoping shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. will return May 24, the start of a six-game road trip for the club, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Tatis went to the injured list on April 30 with a hamstring strain, temporarily derailing a phenomenal start to the 20-year-old rookie’s career. The Padres have had the luxury of using Manny Machado at short to fill in for Tatis, but moving the former off third base has left the hot corner to the light-hitting Ty France.

Here’s more on several other household names dealing with injuries…

  • Angels left fielder Justin Upton remains a ways off from making his 2019 debut, as he explained to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and other reporters Saturday. That’s not surprising, though, considering Upton was slated to miss eight to 12 weeks when he went down with a toe injury at the end of March. While Upton is one of the Angels’ best complements to Mike Trout, his absence hasn’t been ruinous thanks to the surprisingly great offensive production waiver pickup Brian Goodwin has offered in his place.
  • Red Sox left-hander David Price will come off the IL to start Monday, manager Alex Cora told reporters, including Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Price will end up missing exactly two weeks after heading to the shelf with elbow tendinitis May 6. Before that, Price followed up last fall’s playoff heroics with a 3.75 ERA/3.42 FIP and a career-high 10.5 K/9 across 36 frames.
  • Utilityman Aledmys Diaz left the Astros’ game Friday with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, manager AJ Hinch announced (via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). The injury doesn’t seem as if it will require an IL stint, though, as Hinch noted Diaz “could possibly be back as early as next series.” Diaz had been filling in at second base since last weekend, when the team placed starter Jose Altuve on the IL, and produced at a white-hot clip before going down with his own injury. Hinch indicated the Astros will turn to Yuli Gurriel at second and Tyler White at first for however long Diaz is out.
  • Athletics designated hitter Khris Davis incurred a left hip injury on May 5, and the issue continues to trouble him nearly two full weeks later, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com relays. Davis said Saturday he’s “not 100 hundred percent,” which caused the Athletics to scratch him from their lineup. Manager Bob Melvin admitted there’s “a little bit of concern” for the 31-year-old Davis, who was eminently durable with the A’s from 2016-18, though he’s hopeful the slugger will be OK by Sunday.

Angels Option Justin Bour, Will Select Jared Walsh

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The Angels announced following tonight’s game that they’ve optioned first baseman Justin Bour to Triple-A Salt Lake. They’ll make a corresponding roster move prior to tomorrow’s game, which, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link), will be to select the contract of first baseman/left-handed reliever Jared Walsh.

Though Bour is a veteran of parts of six big league seasons, he’s still a couple of months shy of the five full years of MLB service time. Players with five or more years of MLB service can only be optioned to the minors with their consent, but Bour entered the year at four years, 64 days of MLB service and is now at four years, 111 days.

Bour, 30, was non-tendered by the Phillies in the offseason and inked a one-year deal worth $2.5MM with the Halos. At the time, the hope was that he could help fill in for Shohei Ohtani early in the season and then move into some kind of timeshare at first base and designated hitter. But while he entered the year as a career .260/.344/.466 hitter with 84 home runs in 1563 Major League plate appearances, Bour has batted only .163/.268/.316 through 112 plate appearances with his new club. He’s drawn 13 walks in that time, demonstrating strong knowledge of the strike zone, but has also shown questionable contact skills with a 27.7 percent strikeout rate.

If Bour is able to eventually turn things around, the Angels will be able to control him through the 2020 season as an arbitration-eligible player this winter, but that’s a long way from being a consideration at this point. For now, he’ll simply work to earn another crack at the big league roster.

As for Walsh, the 25-year-old is off to a .302/.398/.604 slash with 10 homers and a dozen doubles on the season so far. He’s also pitched five innings of relief and allowed a pair of runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He’s more of a position player than a pitcher — Walsh has just 13 2/3 professional innings under his belt in the minors — but he’s an intriguing player to monitor as he gets his first call to the big leagues.

Angels Release Peter Bourjos

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May 12: The Angels announced that Bourjos has cleared waivers and has been unconditionally released.

May 10: The Angels announced today that they’ve requested unconditional release waivers on outfielder Peter Bourjos, whom they designated for assignment earlier in the week.

Bourjos, 32, had a homecoming of sorts when he signed a minor league pact with the Angels this offseason. The Halos selected him in the 10th round of the 2005 draft, and he made his big league debut with the club a half decade later when he emerged in 2010. Playing time in his second stint with his original organization was sparse, however, and Bourjos ultimately hit just .091/.109/.144 in 46 trips to the plate. A career .237/.296/.376 hitter (2334 plate appearances) who can handle all three outfield positions, Bourjos will head back to the open market in search of another opportunity with a club seeking some veteran depth.

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