Among the players the Los Angeles Angels were hoping to get back this year was Chris Rodriguez, who impressed during a brief stint in 2021 before shoulder inflammation cost him the final two months of the season.
The right-hander went 2-1 with a 3.64 ERA, 3.14 FIP and 1.45 WHIP in 29.2 innings of work (15 games, two starts), while flashing three plus pitches at times.
Rodriguez underwent shoulder capsule surgery the following offseason and was supposed to return to the mound in 2022, but suffered a setback and did not pitch at all.
Rodriguez made progress this spring and advanced to facing hitters last month, but unfortunately has stopped throwing for the time being after another setback, per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group:
Rodriguez advanced to facing hitters in April, but his rehab stalled and he has not been able to throw off a mound.
“It’s kind of day-to-day how he feels or what he’s doing,” Nevin said.
While this latest stumbling block has to be frustrating for Rodriguez, Angels manager Phil Nevin did note that he’s considered day-to-day. However, Nevin did not provide a definite timeline on when the 24-year-old will be able to throw off a mound again.
The Angels selected Rodriguez in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and he found success during his first professional season with the organization before struggling the following year.
Rodriguez then missed most of the 2018 and 2019 seasons due to a back injury and did not pitch at all in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
If Rodriguez is able to overcome his hurdles and be cleared for game action this season, he will likely some time with Double-A Rocket City and/or Triple-A Salt Lake before potentially rejoining the Angels later in the year.
Angels’ Anthony Rendon ‘starting to progress and ramp up’
In other injury news, Anthony Rendon is expected to resume baseball activities in the near future and could return to the Angels shortly after. The veteran has been on the injured list with a left groin strain since May 14.
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