OC Register: Garrett Richards, Zack Cozart among 4 Angels added to their lengthy DL

[AngelsWin.com]

OAKLAND — The injury-riddled Angels reached a new low on Friday.

They placed four players on the disabled list, bringing their total to a club-record 15 players on the DL. They have only 12 players from the opening day roster left on the active roster.

Garrett Richards (strained left hamstring) and Zack Cozart (left shoulder subluxation) both went on the DL with the injuries they suffered during Wednesday’s game in Seattle.

They also placed Nick Tropeano (right shoulder inflammation) and Jim Johnson (lumbar strain) on the DL with injuries that had not been public.

Sign up for Home Turf and get 3 exclusive stories every SoCal sports fan must read, sent daily. Subscribe here.

Manager Mike Scioscia had no firm timetables for any of the injured players, although none of the new injuries appeared to be that serious.

“Nobody is going to feel sorry for you,” Scioscia said. “We feel we have the guys who can contribute and keep us going. If we can pitch and have our bullpen hold leads, then we’re going to be fine.”

In case you lost track, the Angels are also without starting pitchers Shohei Ohtani, Matt Shoemaker, JC Ramírez and Alex Meyer; relievers Keynan Middleton and Blake Wood; infielders Andrelton Simmons, Kaleb Cowart and Jefry Marte; catcher René Rivera and outfielder Kole Calhoun.

Meyer, Ramírez, Middleton and Wood are out for the season. Shoemaker is about a month from resuming his throwing program. Ohtani won’t even be re-evaluated for another two or three weeks. The others all could be back within a month. Calhoun, who is already on a rehab assignment, could be back within a week.

In the short term, one of two new rotation holes will be filled by left-hander John Lamb, who will be activated to start in Tropeano’s place on Saturday. Lamb is a former top prospect who has battled back injuries. This season at Triple-A, he has a 3.44 ERA in 13 starts.

The Angels will need another starter on Tuesday at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which would be Richards’ turn. They could use Felix Peña, who had been starting at Triple-A. Peña was one of four pitchers recalled on Friday. The Angels also called up Eduardo Paredes, Akeel Morris and Jake Jewell, who will be making his major league debut.

One of the pitchers will need to go on Saturday to make room for Lamb. They’ll also need to create a spot on the 40-man roster, so someone could be designated for assignment.

The flood of injuries began with Richards, whose velocity was down during his start on Wednesday. He said the hamstring tightness didn’t allow him to finish his pitches. An MRI on Thursday ruled out anything more serious.

“Hamstrings are a different animal,” Scioscia said. “We feel it’s on the mild side. When this thing heals, it heals. No doubt it has to run its course.”

Just after Richards left the game, Cozart dove for a ball and landed on his left shoulder. He said he felt it pop out. He said he’d suffered a similar injury before, and only missed a few days.

“Once it calms down, it’s something he’s played with before,” Scioscia said. “Hopefully he won’t be out too long.”

Related Articles

• Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs answers doubters with results
• Angels lose two more players in wild loss to Mariners
• Angels’ Kole Calhoun set to begin rehab assignment at Triple-A
• For the second night in a row, Mike Trout’s two homers not enough for Angels
• SoCal product David Fletcher gets first promotion to Angels after sizzling start at Triple-A

Scioscia said Johnson’s back “just locked up on him” in Seattle. It would explain why Johnson didn’t pitch in Wednesday’s game. Oliver Drake instead entered with the score tied in the ninth and gave up a walk-off homer.

Tropeano had missed a start with the shoulder problem earlier this season, but there was no indication it had been bothering him since.

“He had been battling this little shoulder issue,” Scioscia said. “I think we’re at a point where we don’t think it’s in Nick’s best interest to try to grind through it.”

There is some good news amid all the injury updates. Simmons, who suffered a grade 2 sprained ankle last week, has been taking batting practice and running the bases for two days.

“He’s doing very well,” Scioscia said. “He made a lot of progress.”

Ohtani also started taking some one-handed swings, Scioscia said. They won’t have him do much baseball activity until after he’s re-evaluated.

ALSO

David Fletcher was not in the lineup on Friday, a game after he had three hits in his major league debut. When asked to explain his lineup choice, Scioscia said: “David is going to get his opportunities.” It is likely that Scioscia favored the left-handed hitting Nolan Fontana at shortstop instead of the right-handed Fletcher against Oakland right-hander Chris Bassitt. The A’s are starting a lefty, Sean Manaea, on Saturday. …

Catcher Martín Maldonado also did not start on Friday. Scioscia said he will play on Saturday and Sunday.

UP NEXT

Angels (John Lamb, 1-0, 3.44 at Triple-A) at A’s (Sean Manaea, 5-6, 3.49), Saturday, 1 p.m., Fox Sports West, KLAA (830 AM).

View the full article