The Los Angeles Angels have been on the good end of roster health-related news after a season marred by injuries to both star players and depth pieces. The latest is the status of first baseman Jared Walsh, who appears to be on track for Opening Day.
Since making his Major League debut, Walsh emerged as a key left-handed bat in the Angels lineup, posting a 150 wRC+ in 2020 and following it up with a 29 home run, 70 RBI, 126 wRC+ campaign in 2021.
But his production took a steep dive this past year, and it was later revealed he would miss the rest of the regular season because of thoracic outlet syndrome.
Playing in just 118 games, Walsh and the Angels opted to have corrective surgery on Sept. 1 with a target date prior to the 2023 regular season. According to Sam Blum of the Athletic, there aren’t any expected complications for the club’s original plan:
Jared Walsh said this morning that he’s “full go” and feels like he’s 100 percent. Still wants to get out there and see, but all signs are good now.
He gave the rib bone taken from his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery to his niece, who has it in a jar.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 18, 2023
After the surgery, Wash said he gave the piece of his rib bone to his niece, who found it fascinating. Hayden Walsh then shared a photo of her with the jar:
She is very proud of it. pic.twitter.com/s5A81IzSFy
— Hayden walsh (@Haydenwalsh21) February 18, 2023
Walsh has had plenty of time to recover from TOS, which for some can be a career-threatening injury, and they should be in a wait-and-see mode to find a sweet spot to ease him back into action.
General manager Perry Minasian supplemented the Angels infield with a few additions this offseason, bringing in Gio Ushela and Brandon Drury, who both can play first base if need be.
If he’s able to provide the club with decent production from the left side it would be a fantastic boost to a team still in need of left-handed power.
Like Jared Walsh, Chris Rodriguez is near a return
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 issues with discomfort in his right shoulder brought his development to a halt.
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