With the trade deadline on the horizon, some key pieces to the success of the Los Angeles Angels made some very positive developments in their recovery from injury. Brandon Drury, Logan O’Hoppe, and José Suarez are all said to be trending in the right direction.
A key three-game sweep of the New York Yankees inched them closer to the third spot in the American League Wild Card, proving, for at least the moment, that they have enough to compete with teams around their range.
Several injury updates were handed down from Angels manager Phil Nevin, which could shift the balance in how the club approaches the pivotal July 31st deadline.
Angels injuries
Brandon Drury
The Angels infield depth has been strained more than any piece on the roster, but Drury’s absence severely hurt their top part of the batting order. The 30-year-old had an outside shot at making the 2023 All-Star Game after he caught fire, posting a 149 wRC+ with five home runs, 18 RBI and 12 runs scored in June.
He’s settled into a fine role with the team, and Nevin should have his infielder back fairly shortly, per Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
Second baseman Brandon Drury (shoulder inflammation) took ground balls again and has continued to hit in the cage, but “there are places he can’t get to yet with his swing,” Nevin said. “Hopefully that’s not too far off.”
On the season, Drury has collectively slashed .277/.322/.500 with 14 home runs.
Logan O’Hoppe
O’Hoppe suffered a pretty severe, yet not so daunting, injury to his left shoulder in the early part of the season after a swing caused a tear in his labrum. Now that he’s multiple months out from surgery, the young catcher has been actively participating in baseball-related activities:
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe (shoulder surgery) took full swings in the cage and also threw from home plate to second base. O’Hoppe could be back by late August. Nevin wouldn’t confirm that timeline, but he said it’s “trending” toward him returning this season. …
Prior to hitting the injured list, O’Hoppe was on his way to establishing himself as one of the best young catchers in baseball, while simultaneously etching his own spot in the Angels lineup.
José Suarez
Suarez has struggled for most of the time he’s been active this season, but him going down with an injury provided him with two things, time to heal, and time to evaluate his plan of attack on the mound.
The 25-year-old carried a 9.62 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched so far, posting just one solid performance in his six outings. But now that he’s been on the rehab route, Nevin revealed his lefty has a runway to make his return and right his season:
Left-hander José Suarez (shoulder strain) pitched in a game in Arizona on Tuesday and “came out if it feeling great,” Nevin said on Wednesday. The Angels are determining if Suarez’s next outing, on Sunday, will be in the minors or in Arizona. Nevin also said they would bring Suarez back as soon as he “is the best guy to get outs,” even if that’s as a reliever.
If Suarez is able to get back on track, he could be a big boost for the Angels pitching staff.
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