The Los Angeles Angels are shutting down two players, but one pitcher won't need surgery.
The Los Angeles Angels got some bad news on the injury front going into this week, as they learned that first baseman Nolan Schanuel and infielder Kyren Paris will both be shut down for the season, per a report from Rhett Bollinger from MLB.com.
Schanuel has had a frustrating season, to say the least. He’s been out since Aug. 20 with what was described as a right intercostal strain, and he played in one rehab assingment game for Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday and aggravated the injury, per Bollinger.
He returned to Anaheim for testing, but after talking with the training staff the decision was made to shut him down for the final two series.
This tracks with the first baseman’s history. Schanuel is a solid contact hitter who’s average to slightly above that defensively, but he’s been nicked up a lot, and early in the season he was plagued by an ankle issue.
He’ll finish the season with a slash line of .276/.351/.385 slash line with seven homers, 22 doubles and 49 RBIs in 107 games, but he had an earlier stretch in which he was even better.
Paris is a mostly-disposable infielder who’s never really hit, and he was basically occupying a roster spot as the Angels play out the string. His career average is just .147, and he fractured his right index finger while fielding grounders before Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, per Bollinger.
The Angels probably won’t miss him much given that they have two other infielders, Oswald Perez and Denzer Guzman, who are also starting to look disposable as both have been slumping for months now.
The Halos did get some good news on the injury front, however, regarding reliever Samy Natera Jr., who had some good moments before going on the IL back on Sept. 11 with what was described as left forearm inflammation.
Natera won’t need surgery, which is a welcome development given that Natera was one of the Angels few reliable relievers, as he pitched to a 3.13 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 31-2/3 innings.
The Angels do have a complete bullpen overhaul coming, but Natera should definitely be part of the mix, and he had some success as a closer candidate when the Halos gave him a brief cameo in that role. Changes are coming in the infield as well as the Angels try to avoid a 100-loss season down the stretch.
