The Los Angeles Angels have caught the injury bug in recent weeks, starting with Logan O’Hoppe, and putting a strain on their Major League depth while figuring out recovery timelines for a number of bullpen arms and how to maintain their standing in the meantime.
Angels manager Phil Nevin is fortunate to be managing a roster mixed with two of the best superstars in baseball, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. They’ve called up a few young pieces in Zach Neto, Chase Silseth, and Livan Soto for upside and injury replacements, giving them a solid influx of youth.
But O’Hoppe is the largest omission from the group because his hot start to the season put him on Rookie of the Year radar. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn labrum on an April 20th swing, and has since had surgery to repair it.
The Angels’ revealed he had a successful procedure, and according to Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register, he’s made additional progress:
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe (shoulder surgery) no longer needs to keep his arm in a sling.
Labrum tear recovery can take anywhere from three to six months to heal, but O’Hoppe is optimistic, forecasting he’ll return before the season’s end:
O’Hoppe said so far he’s right on schedule. He’s still hoping to make it back four months after surgery, which would be mid-August.
O’Hoppe posted a .886 on-base plus slugging, including a team-leading four home runs, 13 RBI, and six total extra-base hits. Trout made sure to reach out to the 23-year-old, providing some uplifting insight after dealing with a few injuries that could have set his career back.
What to expect from Logan O’Hoppe the rest of 2023
It’s safe to say the Angels intend to slow play O’Hoppe after tearing his labrum, mainly because of the possible long-term implications this particular injury can have on baseball players.
O’Hoppe is still in the early part of his career, but a severe loss of power and feel for a swing is possible, and maybe even likely based on how other players have returned from shoulder surgery. But it wouldn’t shock anyone if he’s able to return to the Angels, get his feet wet and continue to roll as he did pre-injury.
The expectations should just be tempered for at least another calendar year, if not longer. Generally, players recover their power roughly two years after undergoing shoulder surgery, but everyone is different and O’Hoppe has youth on his side.
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