OC Register: Angels reliever José Quijada has ligament damage, will get second opinion

[AngelsWin.com]

ST. LOUIS — Jose Quijada got a discouraging diagnosis on his sore elbow, leading the Angels to concern that the left-hander might be lost for the season.

Manager Phil Nevin said the first evaluation showed “some damage to the ligament,” and that Quijada will get a second opinion to determine if he needs surgery. A damaged ligament would normally lead to Tommy John surgery, which has a 12- to 18-month rehabilitation.

“The news wasn’t great from the MRI but sometimes those can be misleading,” Nevin said. “Then you can go into further evaluations and hopefully we get better news.”

Quijada briefly emerged as one of the Angels’ ninth-inning options in April, but he struggled for a couple of outings, including one last week in which he threw an 89 mph fastball. His average is 94-95 mph.

The next day, Quijada reported that he didn’t feel right when he woke up in Milwaukee, so he was placed on the injured list and sent for further evaluation.

The Angels are also now planning to be without right-hander Austin Warren for an extended period. Nevin said they don’t yet have an official diagnosis on Warren, but he is not going to throw for four to six weeks.

“Hopefully we get better news on both of them,” Nevin said.

TEPERA ACTIVATED

The Angels activated right-hander Ryan Tepera after he missed two weeks with shoulder inflammation.

Tepera, who threw two perfect innings at Class-A Inland Empire during a rehab assignment, said he used the time off to work on his mechanics. He watched videos from how he pitched two years ago, trying to correct the issues that led to him struggling for the first couple of weeks of this season before he was hurt.

“The main thing I struggled with the first part of the season was really getting on the plate, keeping everything on the plate, especially the slider,” Tepera said. “That’s one thing I really looked into and focused on mechanically. I made some adjustments and I feel really good.”

The Angels created a spot for Tepera by optioning right-hander Andrew Wantz, who has an 0.79 ERA. The Angels had only two relievers with options – Wantz and Chase Silseth – and they chose to send down Wantz rather than designating a veteran pitcher for assignment.

General Manager Perry Minasian said the Angels can’t afford to lose any more bodies, particularly after the losses of Quijada and Warren.

“It’s a long season,” Minasian said. “We want to keep as many players as we can over the course of the year. We make tough decisions. That’s the decision we made.”

Nevin also pointed out that Wantz did have some things he needed to work on, such as his fastball command. Wantz’s ERA is also somewhat misleading because he’s allowed nine of 12 inherited runners to score.

SILSETH’S ROLE

The Angels not only opted to keep Silseth, who could have been optioned, but Nevin said he’s planning on increasing his role in the bullpen.

Silseth had only been a starter, but he has pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen so far, including working the seventh inning with a three-run lead on Sunday.

Nevin believes that Silseth’s velocity might go up from his current 96.3 mph average with regular use in short stints. That would be particularly helpful for the Angels because their bullpen is mostly finesse pitchers.

“The other day you saw him pitch in the seventh, and I could see him climbing even higher than that,” Nevin said. “He’s certainly going to pitch in some high-leverage situations. I want to see it. I think he’s very capable of it stuff-wise and mentally.”

NOTES

Shohei Ohtani got the day off on Tuesday, just the second time this season that he’s been out of the lineup. Nevin said it was a logical day because he got a two-for-one, including Monday’s off day, and he’s pitching on Wednesday. The Angels were also facing a lefty, so they could get an extra right-handed hitter in the lineup. …

Switch-hitter Luis Rengifo, who is much better against lefties, got the start in center field, with Mike Trout going to DH. Nevin said he is comfortable with Rengifo in center as opposed to moving Taylor Ward to center and putting Rengifo in left. “We like the way he moves out there,” Nevin said. …

Minasian said there is still no timetable for when first baseman Jared Walsh (headaches, insomnia) or catcher Max Stassi (hip) will return.

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 4-0, 1.85) vs. Cardinals (RHP Miles Mikolas, 1-1, 5.97), Wednesday, 4:45 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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[BTH]

1 hour ago, AngelsWin.com said:

Shohei Ohtani got the day off on Tuesday, just the second time this season that he’s been out of the lineup. Nevin said it was a logical day because he got a two-for-one, including Monday’s off day, and he’s pitching on Wednesday. The Angels were also facing a lefty, so they could get an extra right-handed hitter in the lineup. …

I wonder how players feel about this.

I understand the logic behind it, but the other school of thought is that the scheduled off day is already an off day, so why not spread the off days out more?

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, Trendon said:

I wonder how players feel about this.

I understand the logic behind it, but the other school of thought is that the scheduled off day is already an off day, so why not spread the off days out more?

It’s the only two days off in a row he will get this year except Wednesday and Thursday of All Star weekend. I’m sure they get it and appreciate it. 

[BTH]

1 hour ago, AngelsWin.com said:

General Manager Perry Minasian said the Angels can’t afford to lose any more bodies, particularly after the losses of Quijada and Warren.

“It’s a long season,” Minasian said. “We want to keep as many players as we can over the course of the year. We make tough decisions. That’s the decision we made.”

The Angels should probably aim to add some more pitching from outside the organization to replenish their AAA depth.

They can probably clear two 40-man spots by putting Quijada and Warren on the 60-day IL, and there are always relievers with options available via waivers.

[BTH]

Just now, Stradling said:

It’s the only two days off in a row he will get this year except Wednesday and Thursday of All Star weekend. I’m sure they get it and appreciate it. 

I'm sure they do appreciate it, but I'd be interested in hearing players' perspectives on this.

[T.G.]

1 hour ago, Trendon said:

I wonder how players feel about this.

You wonder about everything 

 

[Jeff Fletcher]

2 hours ago, Trendon said:

I wonder how players feel about this.

I understand the logic behind it, but the other school of thought is that the scheduled off day is already an off day, so why not spread the off days out more?

Trout actually says he prefers this. He said getting 2 days in a row off really is a good refresh. 
 

I have actually thought about doing a story on days off, because everyone anyone is off I get so many comments like “why do they need a day off when they only play for three hours” or “why do they need a day off when they just had one last week.” Etc. 

But then I think maybe it’s stupid because the people who don’t understand days off are probably such casual fans that they’re not reading my stories anyway. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Jeff Fletcher

[Angels 1961]

9 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Trout actually says he prefers this. He said getting 2 days in a row off really is a good refresh. 
 

I have actually thought about doing a story on days off, because everyone anyone is off I get so many comments like “why do they need a day off when they only play for three hours” or “why do they need a day off when they just had one last week.” Etc. 

But then I think maybe it’s stupid because the people who don’t understand days off are probably such casual fans that they’re not reading my stories anyway. 

Better eating habits, trainers overall conditioning for today's players. Money for today's players gives many of their families security for generations to come. Back in 50's 60's 70's players chewed tobacco smoked in the dugout and drank after most games. Stars played everyday for not much money compared to todays salaries. Thirty games in and how many days off have Rendon and Trout have. Players today are spoiled.

[Lou]

26 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Trout actually says he prefers this. He said getting 2 days in a row off really is a good refresh. 
 

I have actually thought about doing a story on days off, because everyone anyone is off I get so many comments like “why do they need a day off when they only play for three hours” or “why do they need a day off when they just had one last week.” Etc. 

But then I think maybe it’s stupid because the people who don’t understand days off are probably such casual fans that they’re not reading my stories anyway. 

Jeff, there are diehard fans here who ask those same questions. 

[Lou]

6 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Better eating habits, trainers overall conditioning for today's players. Money for today's players gives many of their families security for generations to come. Back in 50's 60's 70's players chewed tobacco smoked in the dugout and drank after most games. Stars played everyday for not much money compared to todays salaries. Thirty games in and how many days off have Rendon and Trout have. Players today are spoiled.

Teams have investments to protect.

[Jeff Fletcher]

43 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Better eating habits, trainers overall conditioning for today's players. Money for today's players gives many of their families security for generations to come. Back in 50's 60's 70's players chewed tobacco smoked in the dugout and drank after most games. Stars played everyday for not much money compared to todays salaries. Thirty games in and how many days off have Rendon and Trout have. Players today are spoiled.

I think the level of play back then was such that you could still perform at 80 percent of your ability a lot better than you can now. Also, I think the backup players are now a lot better. 
 

The guy who replaces Trout might have 90 percent of the skill of Trout, whereas the guy who replaced Mickey Mantle had like 50 percent. 

[Tank]

4 hours ago, T.G. said:

You wonder about everything 

 

 

[Revad]

2 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

But then I think maybe it’s stupid because the people who don’t understand days off are probably such casual fans that they’re not reading my stories anyway. 

That or they just like to complain… fandom has its privileges.

[Angels 1961]

8 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I think the level of play back then was such that you could still perform at 80 percent of your ability a lot better than you can now. Also, I think the backup players are now a lot better. 
 

The guy who replaces Trout might have 90 percent of the skill of Trout, whereas the guy who replaced Mickey Mantle had like 50 percent. 

Money has a lot to do with players wanting to play. Contracts used to be year to year so you would want to stay in lineup. Injuries today can cost players millions. Example Quijada if healthy all year his next contract would be life changing. If a player has 90% of Trout level should be starting.

[Angels 1961]

9 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I think the level of play back then was such that you could still perform at 80 percent of your ability a lot better than you can now. Also, I think the backup players are now a lot better. 
 

The guy who replaces Trout might have 90 percent of the skill of Trout, whereas the guy who replaced Mickey Mantle had like 50 percent. 

Teams want to protect their investment. Players health important to owners and players because of the money. Teams want that player making 40 million a year to be on the field as do fans. This is true of all players so rest in today's game is different from game I grew up with.

[Jeff Fletcher]

3 hours ago, Angels 1961 said:

Money has a lot to do with players wanting to play. Contracts used to be year to year so you would want to stay in lineup. Injuries today can cost players millions. Example Quijada if healthy all year his next contract would be life changing. If a player has 90% of Trout level should be starting.

I agree that money is a factor now, but it works both ways. 
 

One player may keep trying to play hurt because he realizes he can make a lot of money, while another player may not want to risk further injury because he realizes that can cost him a lot of money. 
 

As for the 90% of Trout thing, the point is that the other guys playing ahead of him are 95% of Trout.
 

Now I’m just making these numbers up, but the point is the gap in raw talent from the best to the worst major leaguer is probably a lot smaller now than it was 40-50 years ago.