ANAHEIM, Calif. — Angels fans can exhale a sigh of relief.
Mike Trout will return to the Angels' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves after missing the previous game due to getting hit in the hand by a 94 miles per hour fastball on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners.
When the X-rays came back negative, Trout was considered day-to-day.
"It was just swollen," Trout said. "The grip strength was there. Just had to get the swelling down."
Trout's hand is still a bit swollen, but it's manageable.
"I took some dry swings yesterday, and I really didn't have too much pain," Trout said. "I took some swings today. No sharp pain."
It appeared to be much worse than it actually was. Trout left the game after getting hit because the swelling was so severe. Trout couldn't take off his batting glove because of the swelling, so they had to cut his glove to get it off his hand to take the X-rays.
"We dodged a bullet," Trout said.
Grayson Rodriguez could throw bullpen soon
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez said he is progressing well through his throwing program as he recovers from dead arm. He said he's thrown as far as 150 feet and is mixing in changeups.
Rodriguez said he "for sure" could begin throwing off a mound in the next week.
"I think when I feel like I'm ready to be able to throw the ball as hard as I want to throw it, I think that'll kind of let me know," Rodriguez said. "And how I've been progressing over the last week to two weeks has really given me a lot of confidence."
Kirby Yates begins facing hitters
Right-hander Kirby Yates faced live hitters on Tuesday for the first time since he was put on the injured list for knee inflammation in spring training.
Yates threw 26 pitches and said he felt good, but his legs weren't as fresh as he would like them to be since he's been limited with what he can do with his legs over the past couple of weeks.
The next step for Yates is to start a rehab assignment, but he said he will come to the field on Wednesday and sit down with coaches and trainers to see where they will go next.
Yates is taking his time with recovery because he rushed his rehab process last year and never got back to full health, resulting in multiple trips to the injured list with a hamstring strain.
"I haven't pitched a whole lot here lately in the last two weeks," Yates said. "So I got to see how I'm bouncing back and things like that. So, I don't need days off when I come back and things like that, and put other guys in jeopardy."