LA Angels disabled list adds four more members up to 15

The LA Angels disabled list increased by four Friday morning as starting pitchers Garrett Richards and Nick Tropeano were added to the ever-growing list.  Reliever Jim Johnson and third baseman Zack Cozart also were put on the disabled list Friday.

It is getting quite ridiculous as the LA Angels disabled list contains more than half the Angels opening day roster. Thirteen members of the 25-man roster that the Angels broke Spring Training Camp with are now on the DL.

The Angels have now lost four of the six starting pitchers they were counting on going into the season, plus one who replaced one of the injured starters in early April.  J.C. Ramirez and most likely Shohei Ohtani will not pitch again this season, although Ohtani may still be able to DH.  Matt Shoemaker may also not make it back and he has no timetable right now for a return.  Richards will be out at least two weeks with a hamstring injury. In addition Nick Tropeano who just came back this Spring from Tommy John surgery now has shoulder inflamation and will undergo further test to see the extent of the problem.

So now the Angels rotation will consist of Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, Jaime Barria, and Josh Lamb.  Jake Jewell was also recalled and although he was a career starter, he has been converted to a reliever much like Justin Anderson.  Jewell will probably be used in relief and then Felix Pena will probably get the fifth starter spot for now.

Lamb who pitched decent in Spring Training for the Angels will start Saturday in Oakland.  Pena who was a reliever earlier this season for the Angels has been stretched out to be a starter now and has shown some promise with a 3.51 ERA with a 1-2 record, but he has only gone more than five innings once. In Pena’s last start Pena pitched six shutout innings against New Orleans and struck out three batters in getting his first victory of the season for Salt Lake. So it is anyone’s guess how the Angels will use Pena as a starter or a reliever.

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Akeel Morris was recalled to replace Jim Johnson who has a lumbar strain and was also placed on the DL. Johnson has been relegated to middle relief recently after being a set-up man and even a closer for a time this season.  Eduardo Paredes was also recalled again to provide some more depth in the bullpen.

So the Salt Lake City Angels uh, I mean Los Angeles Angels will take the field within the hour against Oakland.  We will have to see if manager Mike Scioscia’s patchwork line-up can handle the much improved Oakland A’s.  Tyler Skaggs will have the task of taming the A’s bats and Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Ian Kinsler, and Justin Upton will try to carry the load offensively.

Next: The injury bug keeps claiming Angel players

This ought to be fun.