ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ahead of Saturday night's game against the Seattle Mariners, there were updates on some Angels working their way back from injuries.
STRETCHED NERVE FOR STEPHENSON
Robert Stephenson told reporters that he took two MRIs and found no structural damage, but he does have a stretched nerve. Stephenson said that he doesn't have a timeframe for him to return to action because all they can do is let it heal on its own.
The right-hander returned from Tommy John surgery and made an impressive Angels debut against the Yankees on May 28, tossing a one-two-three inning and striking out two batters. But two days later, Stephenson left the game after throwing just three pitches and was placed on the injured list with bicep inflammation.
"It was in the bullpen, like the last few pitches warming up there," Stephenson said when he first noticed the pain. "Then when I got out to the game mound, I felt it get progressively worse to the point where after those couple pitches, I just felt it could be a bad idea to keep pitching."
This is a rare injury, as Stephenson noted that the doctors told him that they found a similar injury back in 2018. Stephenson said he is going to see another doctor next week to try to get more answers.
This injury is not related to his Tommy John surgery.
"There's not any kind of major injury or anything, it's just a matter of how long it's going to take," Stephenson said. "There's not really a good answer for (a timeframe to return) because it could be something that disappears overnight, it could be something that takes a couple of weeks or longer."
TROUT PROGRESSING IN DRILLS IN RIGHT FIELD
Although Mike Trout is back in the Angels lineup from a bone bruise in his knee, he's still limited to just being a DH. But Saturday was the second day that Trout did outfield drills.
Saturday's work was more intense than the day before, but he still needs to ramp up the workouts before returning to right field in games.
Manager Ron Washington said that Trout came through the workout well and expects to see him return to the field soon.
Since returning as a DH, Trout is hitting .476 with a 1.208 OPS in six games. Trout has raised his batting average from .180 to .228 and his OPS from .712 to .806.
"So far, everything has been going well," Washington said as he raised both hands and crossed his fingers. "As I said, I don't think Mike is going to take a week to get ready. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next few days, he says he's ready to go to the outfield."
MONCADA TAKING SWINGS
Yoán Moncada began taking swings off the tee on Saturday, according to Washington. Moncada was placed on the injured list with right knee inflammation on June 2.
Washington said that they are getting Moncada slowly ramped up back into baseball activities.
When healthy, Moncada has been a productive bat for the Angels, boasting an .841 OPS and a 135 wRC+ in 30 games played.