Chris Rodriguez spent most of the 2023 season rehabbing from right shoulder surgery in hopes of returning to the Los Angeles Angels, but a back injury prevented him from doing so.
The right-hander was inching closer to getting back on a Major League mound before suffering the setback. He wound up making three appearances at the Minor League level, allowing four runs on six hits in 2.2 innings of work.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian provided an update on Rodriguez and said he is still dealing with the back issue, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
(Chris) Rodriguez spent most of the season rehabbing from right shoulder surgery before making three appearances in the Minors in mid-September. But he was shut down after his outing with Salt Lake on Sept. 17, as he dealt with a back injury. Rodriguez previously battled back injuries from 2018-21.
“Chris had a couple setbacks with his back,” Minasian said. “It’s something he’s working on now and rehabbing. We’ll see how it goes.”
The Angels originally 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 because of a back injury, and did not pitch at all in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Rodriguez impressed during a brief stint with the Angels in 2021 as he went 2-1 with a 3.64 ERA, 3.14 FIP and 1.45 WHIP in 29.2 innings pitched (15 games, two starts).
Fortunately for the 25-year-old, he will have the entire offseason to get healthy before Spring Training workouts begin in February.
Angels hopeful Sam Bachman will be ready for Spring Training
In addition to Rodriguez, the Angels are hopeful that Sam Bachman will be ready for the start of Spring Training next year. The former top prospect went 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA, 3.73 FIP and 1.65 WHIP in his first taste of the Majors this season.
