The Los Angeles Angels have been hit hard with injuries over the course of the season and as a result, their place in the standings has suffered.
With David Fletcher still on the shelf for groin surgery that will keep him out for a few more weeks and third baseman Anthony Rendon once again is out for an extended period of time because of right wrist surgery that ended his season, the Angels have been rotating options in the infield to tread water.
Matt Duffy has served as the primary replacement at the hot corner since Rendon went down, mainly because the Angels didn’t want to pull Taylor Ward from his right field slot and create another hole there. But Duffy has since been put on the 15-day injured list and the reinforcements are growing thin.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian hasn’t had the best track record of free-agent contracts, and in the past, he isn’t too savvy on the trade market either, mainly due to a thin farm system to pull from, but he has been very transparent about his openness to improving the Angels roster through multiple avenues, via Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
“We’re always trying to make improvements,”, Minasian said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve this club from the outside, from the inside. Matt Duffy’s (at third) right now. He’s had a pretty good career track record. It’s a pretty good career up to this point. So we expect him to be productive. We’re always looking for ways to improve.”
The Angels recalled converted catcher Matt Thaiss to fill the hole at third base in the interim until Duffy’s back is figured out. However, it’s the bullpen and back of the rotation which may be their biggest concern.
But those reinforcements might still be a month away as options are limited until closer to the trade deadline:
The trade deadline is Aug. 2 this year, and Minasian said any trade discussions would likely gain steam closer to that date.
The Angels currently sit in third place in the American League West and are one game behind the Texas Rangers.
Reid Detmers optioned for a ‘reset’
The Angels decided to option starting pitcher Reid Detmers to Triple-A just six weeks following his no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 10.
His no-hitter was the 12th in franchise history and gave the Angels a glimpse into the talent he has, but his follow-up performances since have shown Detmers still has much to learn.
In six starts since his no-hitter, Detmers has posted a 5.67 ERA and a 6.87 FIP with just 27 innings pitched. One of the more glaring stats is 44.3% of contact he allowed qualifies as hard hit, which is another reason why he could use some time in the Minors to work out some issues.
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