The Los Angeles Angels placed Jose Soriano on the 15-day injured list on Thursday due to an abdomen infection. This comes three days after the young starter was scratched from Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers and was replaced by Zach Plesac.
Soriano has been one of the main bright spots for the Angels this season. After spending the offseason and Spring Training building up to being a starter, the Halos had him out of the rotation to begin the season. But when Chase Silseth suffered an early injury, they were able to turn to Soriano with great results.
The 25-year-old started 12 games prior to his abdomen infection. In 66.1 innings as a starter this season, he has a 3.39 ERA and 1.176 WHIP, allowing 7.2 hits per nine innings. The Angels leaned heavily on Soriano, especially after Patrick Sandoval had a rough start to the season and Reid Detmers was ultimately optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake.
He established himself as a pillar of the Angels rotation and a cornerstone young piece for the franchise moving forward. While his name has not come up in trade talks, it is unlikely that general manager Perry Minasian would consider moving on from such a valuable young player.
Manager Ron Washington initially did not believe Soriano’s infection would require an IL stint. But now that it has resulted in that, the Angels are likely going to move forward with Plesac in the rotation until Soriano can return.
Plesac was solid taking over for Soriano, giving up three earned runs over six innings of work. But his next challenge is a much more difficult one, as he is the scheduled starter for Saturday’s contest against the L.A. Dodgers.
Jo Adell given freedom to work through slump for Angels
Jo Adell is in the midst of a major slump for the Los Angeles Angels. Over his last 25 games since May 21, Adell is batting .096 with a .363 OPS, and it has brought his season numbers crashing down to a sub-.200 batting average and sub-.700 OPS. However, unlike previous slumps at the Major League level, this time is different.
Adell, this time, has been given the runway to work through his slump. Over his first five Major League seasons, the plug has been pulled on him relatively quickly. That type of inconsistency in role makes it hard to work out of a slump.
But for the first time, Adell has a guaranteed starting spot, and is being given a real chance to fight through the struggles. He spoke about having that room to grow.