- Already being hit hard by the injury bug, the Angels took another punch on Wednesday, announcing that righty Nick Tropeano is headed to the 10-day DL with a shoulder issue. The good news for the Halos is that the injury appears minor, as Tropeano told reporters he’ll “100 percent” be ready to return after the 10-day minimum (Twitter link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). As Tropeano explains, he’s not even planning to stop throwing and already played catch earlier today. The Angels, it seems, are merely acting with precaution after the righty felt some something slightly off in his shoulder.
Angels Rumors
Angels Place Closer Keynan Middleton On Disabled List
The Angels announced today that they’ve placed right-hander Keynan Middleton on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to April 29, with inflammation in his right elbow. It’s not immediately clear how long the team expects Middleton to be sidelined, though the loss comes as a notable hit to the Halos’ bullpen. Middleton, 24, has handled much of the Angels’ closer responsibilities in 2018, saving six games while pitching to a 2.40 ERA with a 15-to-7 K/BB ratio in 15 innings of work. With Middleton on the shelf, Cam Bedrosian, Blake Parker and (especially) Jim Johnson have experience closing games out at the big league level, though Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register suggests that rookie Justin Anderson could step into the ninth inning spotlight (Twitter link). Eduardo Paredes has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Middleton’s roster spot for now.
Ohtani Won't Pitch Until The Weekend, Is Available As DH
- Shohei Ohtani will be available as a DH for the Angels’ upcoming series against the Orioles (from Tuesday to Thursday) but his next start on the mound won’t be until next weekend in Seattle at the earliest, manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters. Ohtani suffered a minor ankle injury while trying to beat out a grounder on Friday, and the team will hold Ohtani out of a scheduled start against the O’s in order to make sure the ankle is completely healed. Ohtani’s availability against Baltimore indicates that the injury isn’t too serious, though he wasn’t in the lineup on Saturday or Sunday.
Shohei Ohtani Dealing With Ankle Sprain
- Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani isn’t a lock to make his scheduled start against Baltimore on Tuesday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report. Ohtani suffered a mild left ankle sprain while crossing first base on Friday and was then out of the Angels’ lineup Saturday. Fortunately, though, a DL placement is not under consideration for the right-handed pitcher/left-handed hitter, manager Mike Scioscia declared. [Update: Ohtani believes he’ll be OK to start Tuesday, Maria Guardado of MLB.com tweets.]
Angels Return Luke Bard To Twins
The Angels have returned Rule 5 pick Luke Bard to the Twins, per a club announcement. The reliever had been designated for assignment recently.
Bard, 27, has long been viewed as a high-upside relief arm. But he had managed only a 5.40 ERA in his first 11 2/3 innings at the MLB level. While Bard carried 10.0 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9 in that span, he also coughed up four long balls.
As they compete for a postseason spot, the Halos will not be able to afford the luxury of carrying a Rule 5 player who will not be an immediate contributor. Evidently, the club did not feel he was going to a valuable enough performer to hold down a bullpen spot the rest of the way.
That’s good news for the Twins, who’ll be able to hold onto their former first-round pick without occupying a 40-man spot. They’ll send $50K to Los Angeles to reacquire his rights. It seems there’s still reason to hope that Bard can turn into a quality MLB asset. He’s certainly dedicated to his craft, as an excellent chat with David Laurila of Fangraphs from earlier this year demonstrates.
Blake Wood Diagnosed With Elbow Impingement
Angels righty Blake Wood has been diagnosed with an impingement in his pitching elbow, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group was among those to report on Twitter. Wood is heading to the 10-day DL.
Fellow righty Justin Anderson receiving his first call to the majors to take the open roster spot. The team had an open 40-man spot to accommodate the selection of his contract. Another right-handed reliever, Eduardo Paredes, is also heading back to the majors after some time on optional assignment.
The Halos added Wood late in the 2017 season and then agreed to an arbitration contract with him just before the tender deadline. He’s earning $1.45MM for the 2018 season.
Details of the injury aren’t yet known, but this sort of malady typically sidelines a pitcher for a fairly substantial stretch of time. To take but one recent example — which may or may no be of much predictive value — the Dodgers shut down Alex Wood for about a month when he was diagnosed with an elbow impingement back in 2016.
Wood, 32, has given the Angels 11 2/3 innings of 2.31 ERA ball thus far. While he has only managed 7.7 K/9 against 5.4 BB/9, he’s sporting a fairly typical 10.0% swinging-strike rate and 96 mph average fastball. Wood has also generated groundballs at an excellent 58.6% rate in the early going.
While the Angels would surely rather continue trotting Wood out there, turning to Anderson represents an interesting alternative. The 25-year-old has opened eyes in the upper minors after a strong showing in camp. Through 8 2/3 innings at the Double-A and Triple-A thus far in the regular season, he has racked up a 14:2 K/BB ratio while allowing just two hits and no earned runs. That’s certainly an intriguing development for a pitcher who, entering the season, had averaged less than seven strikeouts per nine as a professional.
Angels Designate Luke Bard
The Angels have designated right-hander Luke Bard for assignment, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Bard’s roster spot will go to fellow righty Eduardo Paredes, whom the team recalled from Triple-A, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com.
The 27-year-old Bard joined the Angels last December as a Rule 5 pick from the Twins, who will have a chance to get Bard back for $50K if he goes through waivers unclaimed. If a team does claim Bard, it’ll need to keep him on its 25-man roster or risk losing him to waivers.
Bard, whom Minnesota chose in the first round of the 2012 draft, brings both an impressive minor league track record and an intriguing fastball to the table. He hasn’t yet pitched at the Triple-A level, though he carries a 3.09 ERA with 12.1 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 67 Double-A innings. Bard wasn’t able to replicate that success with the Angels early this season, though, as he pitched to a 5.40 ERA despite solid strikeout and walk rates (10.03 K/9, 3.86 BB/9) across 11 2/3 frames.
Injury Notes: Zobrist, Despaigne, Ohtani
Ben Zobrist says he’s headed to the DL to tend to a minor back injury, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN. There doesn’t seem to be any serious concern, but Zobrist has missed the past few games due to the injury, so the Cubs appear to be proceeding with caution. They’ll be able to make the move retroactive by a few days, so it seems unlikely he’ll be out for very long. The versatile Zobrist is in the third year of a four-year, $56MM contract with Chicago. He’s certainly off to an impressive start; in 49 plate appearances so far this season, the veteran has hit .326/.408/.465 with more walks (six) than strikeouts (5). For the time being, players like Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr. and Ian Happ will likely continue to get an extra game here and there to plug the gaps created by Zobrist’s absence
A pair of additional injury notes elsewhere in MLB…
- The Marlins officially placed 31-year-old righty Odrisamer Despaigne on the DL last night (along with fellow reliever Chris O’Grady), as we noted in our daily roster roundup. The reason was a strained forearm, which is always a concerning injury when it comes to pitchers. According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, Despaigne had the following to say about his injury: “I first felt it tight when I was warming up in the bullpen. I tried to keep going with it. When the game started, it’s when I started to feel the pain.” For the Marlins, it’s yet another development that thins out an already-shaky pitching staff.
- Two-way Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani appears to be making progress in regards to his blister issues. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets that Ohtani feels his blister is “recovering”, and that he’s on schedule to make a start on Tuesday in Houston. Fletcher also notes that Ohtani worked with pitching coach Charlie Nagy in a bullpen session, and came away with some things he can use (presumably to prevent a re-aggravation of the injury).
Matt Shoemaker Progressing From Nerve Issue
- Things are looking up for Angels righty Matt Shoemaker, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. He’s hoping to begin throwing in relatively short order after experiencing “drastic improvement” in the nerve issue that has planted him on the DL. The Halos will certainly hope that Shoemaker can make steady progress once his rest period is over. Presumably, though, he’ll be given a long ramp given his injury history and the fact that he’ll have been down for some time.
Ohtani's Teammates, Coaches Discuss His Rapid Adjustments
Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register runs through a number of factors that could contribute to the remarkable discrepancy between Shohei Ohtani’s uninspiring spring performance and his dominance on both sides of the ball during the regular season. Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic highlights (subscription link) Ohtani’s ravenous consumption of data and analytics that the Angels are providing him and his ability to make unnaturally quick adjustments. Veterans Ian Kinsler and Chris Young marveled to both Fletcher and Rosenthal about Ohtani’s work ethic and adaptability, while hitting coach Eric Hinske praised his willingness to ditch a leg kick he had long utilized at the plate in an effort to make his swing more efficient. Pitching coach Charles Nagy and catcher Martin Maldonado also weighed in on the way in which Ohtani has quickly adapted to his new environs while taking MLB by storm.
