Walbert Ureña injury scare adds to Angels spiral fans can’t ignore

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Walbert Ureña appears to have avoided any serious injury after taking a comebacker off his right leg during Friday's game against the New York Mets. The ball left Bo Bichette's bat at 102.6 mph, struck Ureña just below the knee, and caused him to tumble to the ground.

Bichette reached first base on the play and the Angels' medical staff immediately tended to the fallen hurler. Ureña tried to gut it out and even performed a few warmup tosses, but manager Kurt Suzuki decided to remove the right-hander from the game.

“He took a hard shot off the side of his leg, but it looks like just a bruise,” Suzuki told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger after the Angels 4-3 loss to the Mets.

Walbert Ureña injury scare encapsulates Angels early-season woes

Angels fans can add Ureña's injury scare to list of growing concerns with LA's 2026 campaign as the season enters the month of May. The Halos closed out April losing six in a row, and you can add number seven to the list after the club came up one run short against the Mets on Friday night in Anaheim. Thankfully the Astros lost again, so Los Angeles is sharing the AL West basement with Houston.

Fans won't be surprised if further testing reveals more than just a bruise to Ureña's leg. Even if it is simply a contusion, he may not be able to fully plant all his weigh on his right leg, and a 15-day stint on the IL could be forthcoming.

The Halos are already without starters Ryan Johnson, Alek Manoah, and Grayson Rodriguez. Fellow starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi left his last start earlier than expected with a shoulder ailment, and the team's medical staff still doesn't have conclusive results from the MRI. Even José Soriano battled a minor injury during his last start.

The Angels are officially spiraling at this moment. After a red-hot start to the season gave the fanbase hope, the team has now lost 9 of their last 10 games and are 5½ back of the AL West-leading Athletics.

The season is far from over, but unless something drastic changes over the next few weeks, Angels fans will fall back into the mindset that gripped the LA faithful before the 2026 season got underway. It's setting up to be a long summer in Anaheim.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow