Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft, Chris Rodriguez has missed nearly three full seasons since joining the Los Angeles Angels organization. But after undergoing shoulder surgery in November, his timeline for the upcoming season is still up in the air.
The Angels carried Rodriguez out of Spring Training to begin the 2021 season, and in his first 15.2 innings pitched, the right-hander held a 2.30 ERA, and a 3.11 FIP while allowing a minuscule .167 batting average. His immediate success was a breakout performance after years of frustrating returns in the farm system.
But he began to notice a nagging issue with his right shoulder, describing the feeling as a pain with a numbness that made it increasingly uncomfortable to pitch. Rodriguez and the Angels opted for the surgery route when it was revealed he needed a capsule repair.
Using the offseason to rest and recover, Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register reported that Rodriguez is still on the mend and the club is content with his current steps in getting back to the mound:
Asked C-Rod if he’s 100%…
“We're getting there. We're getting there. Part of me wants to say yes. But you know, there's still a process to this. So I'll leave that to the higher ups but right now we're feeling really good and everybody's really happy with where we're at.”
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) February 16, 2023
Before injury Rodriguez showcased three plus pitches he could deploy in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen, headlined by a power sinker and an explosive curveball. He allowed a .136 batting average with a .227 slugging when using the curve in 2021.
The Angels will slowly play him in his return to the mound and Rodriguez shouldn’t be expected to contribute in the early parts of the season. But if all goes well and he’s made a full recovery, his presence would be a large boost to the bullpen in both short and multi-inning spots.
Angels outfielder Mike Trout’s back injury is a ‘non-issue’
Mike Trout was once again performing like an MVP for the Angels in the 2022 season, but a back injury caused him to struggle and miss time.
Trout was diagnosed with a costovertebral dysfunction at T5. Many feared that this injury could affect his career, but he ended up missing just over one month from July 12 to Aug. 19 before he returned.
“Once the season was over, I really didn’t feel the back at all. The back has been a non-issue for the past four months.”
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