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Angels Place Shohei Ohtani On Disabled List With Grade 2 UCL Sprain

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3:40pm: Angels GM Billy Eppler provided further details on the situation, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter links). Ohtani reported elbow stiffness after being removed from his most recent start for a blister, prompting the medical review. When asked whether Ohtani can avoid Tommy John surgery, Eppler responded: “We’re hopeful that he can, that it is completely treatable with the biologic prescription the doctors recommended.”

2:03pm: In an alarming announcement, the Angels revealed today that right-hander Shohei Ohtani has been placed on the 10-day DL with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He’s already received platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell injections, per the Angels, and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

The move comes as a brutal blow to an Angels staff that is without Matt Shoemaker indefinitely and without J.C. Ramirez for the balance of the season. It was reported shortly after Ohtani signed with the Angels that the young phenom had a Grade 1 sprain of his UCL when teams were courting him this offseason. Every organization was made aware of that information, and it obviously did little to dissuade clubs from embarking on an elaborate and high-profile courtship of the former NPB sensation. He also received a PRP injection for that injury at the time.

The preexisting elbow damage was either minimal enough or had healed to the point that Ohtani was able to pitch throughout Spring Training and quickly enter super-stardom in his first two months with the Halos. Not only has the 23-year-old pitched to a pristine 3.10 ERA with 11.1 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 and 0.9 HR/9 in 49 1/3 innings, he’s also been one of the Angels’ best hitters. In 129 plate appearances, Ohtani has raked at a .289/.372/.535 pace with six homers, eight doubles and a triple. He’s walked at an 11.6 percent clip against a 25.6 percent strikeout rate, and he’s even stolen a base in his lone attempt.

With Ohtani out of commission for at least the foreseeable future, the Angels will have Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, Jaime Barria and Parker Bridwell as rotation options. But any more significant absence for Ohtani, coupled with significant recent injury histories for a number of the currently-healthy members of the Angels’ rotation mix, could push the Angels out into the market for rotation upgrades later this summer. Despite their excellent 35-28 record, the Angels find themselves 4.5 games back of the surprising Mariners in the American League West, and they’re 3.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot at present.

Latest On Andrelton Simmons, Shohei Ohtani

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Mike Trout is somehow having the best season of his already illustrious career, but otherwise the Angels’ top two players have been shortstop Andrelton Simmons and starter/DH Shohei Ohtani. For a Halos club that’s engaged in a tough division battle, then, it’s certainly worrisome to see both show up on the injury sheet.

Fortunately, there’s no reason at present to believe that either Simmons or Ohtani are dealing with serious maladies, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. But Simmons, the club’s magnificent shortstop, has been placed on the DL with a grade 2 ankle sprain. And Ohtani, who was pulled after four frames, will need to allow a blister to heal up before he takes his next start.

In the case of Simmons, the injury grade indicates that there is at least a slight tear to a ligament. Online sources, at least, suggest a potential recovery time in the range of two to six weeks, though the club has not yet offered a timeline specific to the player.

Any absence is most unwelcome, given that Simmons is both fielding and hitting at top-of-the-line levels thus far. Fortunately, Zack Cozart is also an outstanding defender at short, though obviously the loss of Simmons will mean plugging in less-polished options on the left side of the infield. Fletcher says the club expects to utilize Luis Valbuena, Jefry Marte, and Kaleb Cowart (who was recalled after just being optioned) in some combination at the hot corner.

As for Ohtani, skipper Mike Scioscia says that the blister does not seem to be as serious as one he experienced earlier in the season, when he was able to make his next scheduled start. However, his status will surely depend upon how this particular injury heals up.

Even if Ohtani does need some time away from the mound, it seems reasonable to anticipate that he’ll still be able to appear as a hitter. And despite some notable injuries to starters, the team still has five other worthwhile options to go to in the rotation. Youngster Jaime Barria has pitched well in seven starts this year and is waiting in the wings at Triple-A if he’s needed.

Angels Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Jordyn Adams

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Angels first-round pick Jordyn Adams revealed today that he’s agreed to terms with the team, though he’s yet to officially sign his new contract, as Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets. Adams, a prep outfielder out of North Carolina’s Green Hope High School, was selected by the Halos with the No. 17 overall pick. Financial terms have not been reported, though that slot came with a slot value of $3,472,900.

Opinions on Adams varied, to an extent, headed into this week’s draft, though most every outlet agreed that he was one of the 50 best talents in the draft. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs joined ESPN’s Keith Law in ranking him 19th among draft prospects, while Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com had him 37th, and Baseball America pegged Adams 45th.

Adams, by all counts, possesses tremendous athleticism, as he was also committed to UNC where he’d have had the chance to play wide receiver on their football team in addition to furthering his baseball career. (Notably, Adams’ father is the defensive line coach at UNC.) Fangraphs pegs him as an 80-grade runner, while MLB.com has him at a 75 (on the 20-80 scale), and there’s little doubt in any of the aforementioned scouting reports that he has the potential to handle center field as a plus defender. He’s said to have good bat speed and a good feel for hitting, but he’s also still raw as a prospect given that he’d yet to commit to baseball on a full time basis before today’s agreement.

While Adams is obviously years from MLB readiness, he’ll add to a growing collection of talented outfielders in the Angels’ minor league ranks. Jo Adell, last year’s first-round pick, and Brandon Marsh (second round, 2016) both have the potential to play excellent outfield defense down the line and are both considered to be among the game’s 100 or so best prospects.

Angels Notes: Calhoun, Cozart, Shoemaker

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A few notes from Anaheim…

  • The Angels have placed right fielder Kole Calhoun on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to Friday) with a right oblique strain, per a team announcement. In corresponding moves, the club recalled infielder Kaleb Cowart and outfielder Michael Hermosillo and optioned right-hander Jaime Barria to Triple-A. The loss of Calhoun may be a positive development for the Angels’ offense, as the normally respectable hitter has opened his age-30 campaign with a hideous .145/.195/.179 line in 185 plate appearances. As a result, Calhoun easily ranks last among qualified hitters in wRC+ (3, compared to a career 104 mark). To Calhoun’s credit, he hasn’t allowed his offensive woes to carry into the field. He ranks first among outfielders in Ultimate Zone Rating (6.2) and 11th in Defensive Runs Saved (seven).
  • Third baseman Zack Cozart is dealing with a left forearm strain, per Avery Yang of MLB.com. Cozart underwent an MRI on Friday, though the results aren’t yet known. While Cozart doesn’t seem overly concerned about the injury, it has kept him off the field since May 29, and he’s not in the Angels’ lineup Saturday. Cozart, whom the Angels added on a three-year, $38MM contract in free agency, has begun his Halos tenure with a .232/.310/.395 line and five home runs in 216 trips to the plate.
  • The forearm surgery righty Matt Shoemaker underwent earlier this week was to repair a split tendon, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Shoemaker expects to resume throwing in six weeks, DiGiovanna adds, so it could be August before he factors in again in the majors – if he returns at all this season.

Angels Claim Oliver Drake

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The Angels have claimed reliever Oliver Drake off waivers from the Indians, per a club announcement. He had been designated recently by the Cleveland organization.

Meanwhile, the Halos also announced that southpaw Ian Krol cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. It is not yet clear if he accepted the assignment to the club’s top affiliate.

The 31-year-old Drake has had a rough go of things this year. He opened the season with the Brewers and then landed with the Indians. Despite recording 19 strikeouts and a 46.0% groundball rate in his 17 frames, he has coughed up 15 earned runs on 21 hits and nine walks on the year.

For the Halos, Drake will provide a fresh arm that still holds its share of intrigue. He has, after all, managed a 13.1% swinging-strike rate this season and has surely been unlucky to carry only a 51.6% strand rate and .412 batting average on balls put in play against him. Indeed, Statcast credits him with an appealing .311 xwOBA that significantly lags the actual .353 wOBA that has been produced by opposing hitters.

Matt Shoemaker Undergoes Forearm Surgery; Blake Wood To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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The Angels issued a pair of unpleasant health updates Tuesday, revealing that right-hander Blake Wood will require the second Tommy John surgery of his career. Meanwhile, right-hander Matt Shoemaker has already undergone forearm surgery — specifically, a nerve decompression and a pronator teres tendon repair. Wood, obviously, will be out the remainder of the 2018 season and a significant portion of the 2019 season. As for Shoemaker, the Angels merely announced that “additional information will be provided when appropriate.”

The outlook on Shoemaker looks to subtract a second rotation piece from the rotation for the foreseeable future. J.C. Ramirez has already undergone Tommy John surgery and won’t pitch again this season. For the time being, that leaves the Angels with a rotation mix of Shohei Ohtani, Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Heaney, Jaime Barria, Nick Tropeano and Parker Bridwell atop the depth chart. While those are certainly seven capable starters, there’s no shortage of recent injury issues among the group, either.

It’ll be the second straight season in which Shoemaker has undergone surgery to address a nerve issue in his forearm. While the righty has shown to be a plenty capable rotation arm at times in the big leagues — he logged a 3.80 ERA in 431 1/3 innings from 2014-16 — he’s never made more than 27 starts in a season and has never topped 160 innings as a Major Leaguer. While the Angels surely hope to see him return to the roster by season’s end, Shoemaker’s lack of durability makes it difficult to count on him for any meaningful contributions moving forward.

Wood, 32, joined the Angels via waiver claim last season and has posted a 3.77 ERA with 32 strikeouts against 11 walks in 28 2/3 innings out of the Halos’ bullpen. However, he landed on the DL with an elbow impingement late in April, which eventually prompted further testing and eventually revealed the UCL damage.

Now, with surgery to address that damage set for this Friday, it appears that the injury could ultimately spell the end of Wood’s time with the Angels. Wood entered the season with five years, 131 days of MLB service time, meaning he’ll be a free agent at season’s end. He’ll finish out the season on the 60-day DL, and while he could certainly return to the Halos on a minor league deal, he’ll also be able to gauge interest from all 30 clubs on the open market.

Angels Designate Ian Krol

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The Angels have designated left-hander Ian Krol for assignment, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group tweets. The Halos recalled righty Akeel Morris from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Krol is in his first year with the Angels, who signed him to a minor league deal over the winter. The 27-year-old made his  debut appearance with the club on Sunday and tossed two scoreless innings of one-hit ball, but that wasn’t enough to keep him on its roster. Krol previously threw 21 effective innings at Triple-A, where he posted a 1.71 ERA with 8.57 K/9, 3.56 BB/9 and a 50.9 percent groundball rate.

Also a former National, Tiger and Brave, Krol has produced passable numbers at the major league level, having combined for a 4.50 ERA with 8.43 K/9, 3.46 BB/9 and a 45.2 percent grounder rate in 190 innings. He’s out of minor league options, though, so if a team does claim Krol, it’ll need to put him on its 25-man roster or try to sneak him back through waivers.

West Notes: Pence, Ohtani, D-backs, Hill, A’s

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It’s possible Giants outfielder Hunter Pence has played his last game with the team, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports California observes. The Giants have to make a decision on Pence’s future within the next six days, when his minor league rehab assignment will end. In the event San Francisco releases Pence, who helped the club to two World Series titles as a younger player, it’ll have to eat the remainder of his $18.5MM salary. But if Pence gets another shot with the Giants, he’ll return having undergone some offensive adjustments with the help of private instructor Doug Latta – whose students also include Mac Williamson and the Dodgers’ Justin Turner – Pavlocic details. Pence feels “way better” after working with Latta, and has hit well in the minors since making the changes. The respected veteran got off to a rough start in the majors this year (.172/.197/.190 in 61 plate appearances) before going on the disabled list April 19 with a thumb issue.

More from the game’s West divisions…

  • The Angels expect Shohei Ohtani to make his next start during their upcoming series against the Tigers, which runs from Monday to Thursday, manager Mike Scioscia said Saturday (via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times). Ohtani had been scheduled to start Sunday against the Yankees, but the Angels elected against that as a way to manage the phenom’s workload. The pitcher/hitter hasn’t taken the mound since last Sunday, when he cruised past the Rays to record his fifth quality start in seven attempts, but has been in the Angels’ starting lineup five times this week.
  • The free-falling Diamondbacks may welcome both lefty Robbie Ray and righty Shelby Miller back in mid-June, general manager Mike Hazen told reporters, including Kathleen Fitzgerald of AZCentral and Nick Piecoro of AZCentral. After getting off to a 24-11 start, the Diamondbacks have lost 14 of 16, perhaps thanks in part to the absences of Ray (strained oblique) and Taijuan Walker (Tommy John surgery) since late April. The D-backs’ banged-up rotation is hardly the primary reason for their slide (the club’s offense has only averaged two runs per game during its slump), but the returns of Ray and Miller should be welcome nonetheless. Along with Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin and Zack Godley, Ray and Miller would help form a nice rotation on paper. Miller has been working back since he underwent a Tommy John procedure last May.
  • There was optimism about injured Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill earlier this week, but manager Dave Roberts suggested to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters Saturday that his return’s not exactly imminent. Hill’s still “a ways away” from returning from his long-running blister issues, per Roberts. The 38-year-old went back on the DL last Sunday, when Roberts estimated he’d miss at least four weeks. Fortunately for the surging Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw seems to be nearing a return from his own DL stint, and Hill replacement Ross Stripling has been brilliant this season. In a win over the Padres on Friday, Stripling struck out 10 and didn’t issue any walks across 6 2/3 innings of six-hit, one-run ball (unearned).
  • The Athletics made a series of moves Saturday, sending Santiago Casilla to the DL with a strained shoulder, optioning Josh Lucas to the minors and recalling Carlos Ramirez and Chris Bassitt. The most notable member of the group is Casilla, who ranks third among A’s relievers in innings pitched this year (21 2/3). Casilla opened his age-37 season with an appealing 3.32 ERA over that span, though he also totaled too few strikeouts and too many walks (14 in each case) and benefited from a .186 batting average on balls in play.

Injury Notes: Prado, Murphy/Goodwin, DeJong, Casilla, Trumbo, More

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It seems that Marlins infielder Martin Prado has suffered a rather significant left hamstring injury, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. The 34-year-old has endured a run of significant problems with his hamstring muscles in the past year or so. Details aren’t yet known, but it certainly sounds as if Prado will be sidelined for a lengthy stretch. He’s owed $13.5MM this year and $15MM for the 2019 campaign. The long-productive infielder has struggled to a .169/.221/.180 batting line in 95 plate appearances on the season.

Here’s more on the injury front:

  • The Nationals finally got some promising injury news, as they’ll send both Daniel Murphy and Brian Goodwin on rehab assignments beginning tomorrow. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweeted the news with regard to the former; Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweeted manager Davey Martinez’s announcement on both players. Murphy has yet to appear in the 2018 campaign after offseason microfracture surgery, while Goodwin has been slow to return from a wrist injury.
  • It’s still unclear just how long the Cardinals will go without shortstop Paul DeJong, but he says he has been given a four-to-eight week estimate by the medical professionals, as Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. More than anything, it seems that broad range indicates that there’s not a lot of clarity at this point as to how long it’ll take to heal. All involved will obviously hope that it hues toward the earlier estimate, as the replacement options all have their warts as semi-regular shortstops.
  • It seems the Athletics will go without reliever Santiago Casilla for a stretch. He has been diagnosed with a shoulder strain, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports (Twitter links). Details of his anticipated absence are not yet available, but it’s said to be likely that Casilla will end up on the DL. At the same time, he says he does not believe it’s a serious malady. The veteran entered play today with an ugly 14:13 K/BB ratio, but had allowed eight runs on only 11 hits in his 21 innings of action.
  • Though he seemingly avoided a more concerning fate, Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo will likely head to the DL to rest his ailing right knee, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report (Twitter links). Trumbo was diagnosed with a fairly significant case of arthritis, which won’t necessarily put him on the shelf for long but also probably isn’t the best news for a defensively limited player who’s owed $12.5MM this year and $13.5MM next. He has been productive thus far in 2018, though, with a .309/.317/.469 slash through 82 plate appearances. On the other hand, it’s somewhat worrisome that he has managed only a pair of home runs and a single walk in that span.
  • In other AL East news … so long as there are no surprises in the interim, Nate Eovaldi will finally start for the Rays on Tuesday, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The Yankees announced that reliever Tommy Kahnle is back from the DL, which represents a promising development given the uncertainty that surrounded him when he went on the shelf. And while the Blue Jays still aren’t planning on a near-term return from Troy Tulowitzki, skipper John Gibbons says the veteran shortstop is at least ready to begin running, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets.
  • While the Padres had hoped to welcome back catcher Austin Hedges in relatively short order, he’s now halting his rehab after his problematic right elbow flared up, as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes. It still seems there’s little reason to fear that Hedges is dealing with a real structural problem, though surely it’s frustrating for the organization that he hasn’t yet fully turned the corner.
  • Meanwhile, the Angels provided an update on hurler Matt Shoemaker, though it mostly suggests ongoing uncertainty with regard to the root of his arm issues. As the club announced, and MLB.com’s Maria Guardado tweets, the latest examination “ruled out peripheral nerve involvement” but “showed mild edema in the forearm.” Shoemaker is also said to have undergone a bone scan. The results of that weren’t specifically cited, but it seems to suggest that the organization is looking at quite a lot of possibilities to figure out what’s really causing problems for the starter.

Rene Rivera Undergoes Knee Surgery

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Angels catcher Rene Rivera has undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus, the club announced (h/t Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, on Twitter). He’s expected to miss four to six weeks of action.

Rivera inked a one-year, $2.8MM deal with the Halos over the winter. Long valued for his glovework, he has been a force at the plate thus far in a reserve role. Through 59 plate appearances, he’s slashing a robust .259/.322/.481.

Of course, the organization won’t expect that sort of output to continue when he returns. Rivera has also gone down on strikes 21 times. And he remains a .627 OPS hitter in nearly 1,500 career plate appearances.

For the time being, the club is going with Jose Briceno as the backup to primary receive Martin Maldonado. Though the Angels could look into alternatives if the opportunity arises — notably, former catcher Jett Bandy just went into DFA limbo — the anticipated absence from Rivera is short enough that it likely won’t force the club’s hand.

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