The Los Angeles Angels already have their starting catcher on IL, and now backup Travis d'Arnaud will join him.
The Los Angels Angels don’t have a lot of depth behind the plan with Logan O’Hoppe already on the IL, and he’ll now be joined by veteran backup Travis d’Arnaud, who was placed on the 10-day IL with plantar fasciitis in his right foot according to a report by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
The timing is unfortunate given that d’Arnaud had just hit a key three-run homer in his last start, and the Angels called up Sebastian Rivero, a 27-year old backup who has spent parts of his four year career behind the plate with Angels and the Kansas City Royals.
“It’s definitely not ideal to have both of your catchers that you started the season with on the IL,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “But at the same time, it is what it is. You got to figure out a way. Luckily, we’ve got two guys that can really catch and it's our job as coaches to help guide them and help them be the best they can be.”
O’Hoppe made the trip to Toronto with the Angels, and he’s progressed to hitting on the field and working defensively with a catching machine, according to Bollinger, but he still needs to catch some bullpens and hit higher-velocity pitching before he can return to the lineup.
d’Arnaud sustained the injury while trying to avoid a tag at first while running out a ground ball, and Suzuki said he wasn’t sure if the injury was a full tear. He also didn’t know how long the backup catcher will be out.
“It definitely wasn't good when it happened,” Suzuki said. “I know he’s still a little bit sore. It’s unfortunate because he was swinging the bat and playing really well. So, pretty bummed for him, but he seemed like he was in good spirits when I texted him back and forth. So time will tell and we’ll see how he recovers.”
The Angels are still trying to decide if O’Hoppe will need a rehab assignment. He says his wrist only bothers him with certain movements, but he’s been able to tolerate pain enough to swing the bat.
“It’s mostly on the pitch up and left on my glove side,” O’Hoppe said. “Honestly, that’s really it. Like swinging feels good. It feels the same for every swing. There’s not a certain pitch where I feel it more. Still some discomfort there when I swing but it’s become a lot more manageable. So even if it’s not 100 percent, but if it’s just enough to play, then I’m going to go play.”
The Angels other catcher is Omar Martinez, who was in the New York Yankees system before signing a minor league deal with the Angels during the offseason. The Angels won’t get a lot of offense from either catcher, which is why they want to get O’Hoppe back sooner rather than later.