The Los Angeles Angels made a series of moves as they’re encountering their first bout with multiple injuries popping up in recent weeks.
The Angels selected the contract of right-hander César Valdez after transferring José Quijada to the 60-day injured list. The club also announced that starter José Suarez would be hitting the 15-day IL after exiting with trainers in the third inning of his most recent outing.
The Angels learned the long-term outlook for Quijada following a second opinion on his left elbow, which confirmed he would require Tommy John surgery. With Valdez taking his spot on the 40-man roster, manager Phil Nevin adds a veteran arm that isn’t high on pure stuff but has a wealth of experience in professional baseball.
Now in his age 38 season, Valdez has posted a 7.27 ERA in 26 innings with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. He’s allowed a .348 batting average to opposing hitters with a 1.96 WHIP, which isn’t the best recipe for success, and his soft-tossing arsenal is geared toward inducing bad contact rather than overpowering batters.
The official announcement from the Angels on Suarez is a left shoulder strain for the left-hander, and the time off will allow him to hopefully get healthy and figure out a plan to find his rhythm moving forward.
The 25-year-old has pitched to a 9.62 ERA, 8.29 FIP, 2.14 WHIP and has posted 12.2% walk rate across 24.1 innings this season.
Angels to evaluate Jared Walsh timeline
With a bit of shuffling around the middle infield prior to calling up rookie Zach Neto, he’s been given the majority of starts at shortstop. Luis Rengifo and Brandon Drury have alternated starts at second base and Anthony Rendon is locked in at third.
Drury has been a key contributor with his bat becoming a weapon in the Angels’ offense, but adding Jared Walsh back to the mix would be a huge plus.
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