The Los Angeles Angels’ pitching staff has made strides this season, but one promising arm still waiting to return to the mound is Chris Rodriguez.
The right-hander flashed some incredible upside as a rookie but hasn’t pitched since last August. After missing two months due to shoulder inflammation, he was recalled to the Majors when the Angels were desperate for innings out of their starters.
Rodriguez wound up tossing 10 innings over two starts before landing back on the injured list with a right lat strain.
As of last month, the 23-year-old was not close to getting back in a game. However, Angels head athletic trainer Mike Frostad recently said Rodriguez is finally making some progress, per Sam Blum of The Athletic:
Angels pitcher Chris Rodriguez, who is rehabbing from shoulder capsule surgery, had his throwing program shut down several weeks ago due to soreness. There was no damage done to the repaired area of his shoulder, and he has progressed since initially being shut down, said head athletic trainer Mike Frostad.
Prior to his season-ending injury last year, Rodriguez was used as both a starter and a reliever, posting a 3.64 ERA in 29.2 innings.
Talent does not escape Rodriguez, and when healthy, he is an arm that opposing teams have to take note of. Rodriguez possesses all of the talent and physical traits to be a successful starter in MLB, but he needs to stay on the field.
Canning met with back specialist
In other injury news, Griffin Canning met with a back specialist earlier this week to determine his next course of action.
Canning decided to have his back examined after not responding the way the Angels would have liked following a simulated game in early May. He ultimately decided against surgery.
Canning sustained the injury while with Triple-A Salt Lake last season and has not come close to pitching in a game since.
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