A trade deadline deal last season brought Logan O’Hoppe to the Los Angeles Angels, and in his short time this season prior to injury–he became one of their most valuable pieces.
The 23-year-old joined the Angels as their new No. 1 prospect and received the nod to join the club as part of their Opening Day roster. Through 53 at-bats, he notched an .886 on-base plus slugging.
His hot start gave some life to the Angels, but he, unfortunately, suffered a torn left labrum on April 20, putting him out for at least four to six months following surgery.
Now that O’Hoppe is a few months into his rehab process, he’s thrilled with how his shoulder is progressing, per Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
“I’m shocked with how little pain I’ve been in,” O’Hoppe said. “I haven’t been in any pain really. Not even soreness. Just feels restricted because they shrunk the capsule during surgery. So just working through that but I’ve been overwhelmed with how good it’s felt.”
There won’t be any rush back to game action for O’Hoppe, and given the Angels’ recent run of solid play, he could be big late in the season. He did receive some more good news in that he began some subtle baseball activities this past week:
“I feel like I can actually do something,” the Angels rookie catcher said after doing some light throwing on the field for the second straight day on Wednesday.
O’Hoppe had earned the praise of fellow Angels centerfielder Mike Trout, providing the rookie with a positive outlook and solid insight in how to deal with injuries in the big leagues.
Angels manager Phil Nevin has been able to shuffle his catching platoon with some relative success in O’Hoppe’s absence, with Matt Thaiss and Chad Wallach. Both of whom have posted a positive fWAR in that span.
When could Logan O’Hoppe return?
The rookie starting up some light throwing was the first step in his recovery, and the best news is that he injured his non-throwing shoulder. However, players who return from labrum tears often see a dip in power, but results certainly vary.
O’Hoppe is expected, with best case scenario, to return sometime in September, with the likelihood it’s towards the latter part of the month. But if there are any hiccups, the Angels won’t hesitate to shut it down and look toward next season.
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