Angels resurgent season takes massive hit with Ron Washington news

On June 20, the Angels announced that manager Ron Washington would be taking an indefinite leave of absence with health issues. It dealt a huge blow to the Angels, who had won six of their last 10 games and enjoyed series wins over the Athletics and Yankees, but fingers were crossed that Washington would be able to return to the team before the end of the season.

However, the Angels called an emergency meeting on Friday, ahead of their evening game against the Nationals. Although the matter at hand wasn't immediately disclosed, it wasn't hard for fans to fill in blanks.

Just minutes later, Sam Blum of the Athletic confirmed that Washington will not be coming back this season. Ray Montgomery, LA's bench coach, will step into the role of interim manager. Ryan Goins will take Montgomery's vacated role. The specific issue Washington is dealing with still has yet to be disclosed.

At the time of the announcement of Washington's intial leave, GM Perry Minasian said, "I want to make sure the guy is absolutely healthy, and physically, that he is in the right place before we put him back in the dugout. We play some close games every night. They're pretty tight games and stressful games, and I want to make sure he's good healthwise."

Angels announce manager Ron Washington will not return in 2025 after absence on medical leave

The Angels have continued to play good baseball in Washington's absence and have won four of their last six since the team announced his leave. They got back to a .500 record on Thursday night, when they completed their sweep against the Red Sox at Angel Stadium. They're just one game behind the Mariners for second in the AL West — and just one game out of a Wild Card spot.

Despite finishing 2024 dead last in the division and under .400, Washington managed this team well enough before his departure that a drought-breaking postseason appearance isn't entirely out of the question. The Angels haven't finished above third place since 2017, but if the Mariners do as the Mariners are usually wont to do and completely drop the ball later in this season, the Angels could have a real shot.

More importantly than what this might mean for the team, we wish Washington the best and a speedy recovery.