June 29, 2018 Page 1 of 60

Press Clips

(June 29, 2018)

June 29, 2018 Page 2 of 60

CLIPS CONTENT

FROM THE OC REGISTER (PAGE 3)

Angels fall to Red Sox again, finishing winless season series against Boston

Shohei Ohtani cleared to resume hitting for Angels

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (PAGE 6)

Angels can't hold on to lead in 4-2 loss to Red Sox

Shohei Ohtani has been cleared to resume training as a hitter

FROM ANGELS.COM (PAGE 8)

Barria battles, but Halos' woes vs. Sox continue

Ohtani cleared to take batting practice

Jewell to have surgery, out for rest of season

5 international prospects to watch from AL West

FROM THE ATHLETIC (PAGE 15)

Awards Watch: New names emerge in the MVP race and all bets are off for Rookie of the Year

Stark: The Useless Info Dept., How Young Is Mike Trout Edition

Shohei Ohtani takes positive first step toward possible return in 2018

Mike Trout decided he was going to improve his defense. You’ll never believe what happened next

Minor League Matters: Six corner infielders who are finding ways to stand out this season

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (PAGE 41)

Bradley, Devers homer for Red Sox in 4-2 win over Angels

Angels reliever Jewell has broken leg, could miss season

Ohtani cleared to begin hitting after elbow shows healing

FROM MLB.COM (PAGE 45)

Injury updates: Ohtani, Carrasco, Correa, Cruz*

FROM ESPN.COM (PAGE 46)

Angels reliever Jake Jewell has broken right fibula; season over

Angels clear Shohei Ohtani to resume hitting

FROM NBC SPORTS (PAGE 47)

Shohei Ohtani cleared to begin hitting

FROM CBS SPORTS (PAGE 48)

Angels, Orioles carry lengthy losing streaks into series

Shohei Ohtani injury update: Angels GM says no 'surgical intervention at this time' for two-way star

FROM USA TODAY (PAGE 50)

Mike Trout: Halfway to one of the greatest seasons in baseball history

FROM BLEACHER REPORT (PAGE 52)

MLB Report Card Grades for All 30 Teams Entering July*

FROM FANSIDED (PAGE 53)

Kansas City Royals: Mike Moustakas makes sense for Los Angeles Angels

FROM FANGRAPHS (PAGE 54)

This might not be the Angels’ year

FROM KYODO NEWS (PAGE 56)

Baseball: Shohei Ohtani doesn't need ligament surgery: Angels GM

FROM THE SPORTING NEWS (PAGE 57)

MLB trade rumors: Five teams with decisions to make before July 31 non-waiver deadline

FROM THE JAPAN TIMES (PAGE 59)

Shohei Ohtani cleared to begin hitting after elbow shows healing

June 29, 2018 Page 3 of 60

FROM THE OC REGISTER

Angels fall to Red Sox again, finishing winless season series against Boston

By Jeff Fletcher

BOSTON — After the Angels’ 4-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night extended their losing streak to a season-worst six games, Manager Mike Scioscia interrupted a question about the team’s trajectory by pointing out that only one game matters.

The next one.

“We’ve got a game tomorrow,” Scioscia said. “We have a game tomorrow. These guys are all playing hard. Everybody in that room is nicked up, but they’re coming out here. They want to play and they’re playing hard. We will get through this for sure. We will play better baseball. I really believe that.”

Certainly, one factor works in the Angels’ favor. They aren’t playing the Red Sox anymore. The Angels lost all six games against Boston this season, getting outscored 49-12 in the process. It was the fourth time in Angels history they were swept in a season series of at least six games.

This was the best game they played against the Red Sox, and it still wasn’t enough.

Ian Kinsler, a veteran of 13 big league seasons, was unwilling to chalk up much of the Angels’ failures against the Red Sox to the Red Sox.

“You try not to honestly give too much credit to the other team,” he said. “You look at yourself first and what you can do to control the game. It’s not really about who you’re playing against. They’re a good team over there. We know that. But you’ve got to beat good teams if you want to be a good team.”

The Angels did at least one thing better than they had in any of their other games against the Red Sox.

Jaime Barría, a 21-year-old rookie pitching his first game in the crucible of Fenway Park, was charged with just two runs in 5-1/3 innings. He was the first Angels starter to even string together three straight scoreless innings against Boston. He didn’t allow a run until the fifth.

“Jaime was good,” Scioscia said. “He kept those guys off balance. … He gave us a chance to win, no doubt about it.”

But it wasn’t enough.

With the score 1-1, Barría was pulled after a one-out walk to J.D. Martinez in the sixth. José Álvarez gave up a double to Mitch Moreland. After an intentional walk to Xander Bogaerts to load the bases, Álvarez walked Brock Holt to force in the go-ahead run.

An inning later, the Red Sox padded the lead with Jackie Bradley Jr.’s two-run homer against Noé Ramírez.

June 29, 2018 Page 4 of 60

The Angels had a chance in the eighth, scoring once on an Albert Pujols’ single. The rally died when Andrelton Simmons hit a line drive that was caught by Mookie Betts in right, and then David Fletcher hit a ball that Andrew Benintendi snagged with a leap at the base of the Green Monster.

“That was a heckuva play,” Scioscia said. “There’s no doubt we hit the ball better than looking at six hits. We probably squared up five other balls they made nice plays on. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Certainly, it’s the way it goes for the Angels this week. As the losing streak dropped them to .500, at 41-41, for the first time since they were 1-1, the only way for the players to approach it is to focus on what’s ahead.

“We’re not going to panic,” Kinsler said. “We’ve got another game tomorrow. We can get back on track. It only takes one game or one day for that to happen.”

Shohei Ohtani cleared to resume hitting for Angels

By Jeff Fletcher

BOSTON — Shohei Ohtani is on his way back to the Angels’ lineup.

The two-way star, who was knocked out of his roles as a pitcher and designated hitter three weeks ago, on Thursday was cleared to resume taking batting practice.

An MRI exam showed enough healing of a grade 2 sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament that doctors determined he could hit without risking his future as a pitcher, General Manager Billy Eppler said.

Ohtani will not be able to throw for at least another three weeks, until he’s re-evaluated. So far, Ohtani does not need Tommy John surgery, Eppler said.

“No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time,” Eppler said.

While the Angels wait to see whether Ohtani heals enough to pitch this season, he can at least hit. Neither Eppler nor Manager Mike Scioscia would give any timeline as to how quickly Ohtani can progress from batting practice to playing in games, but he is clearly headed in that direction.

“We’re excited,” Scioscia before the Angels played the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night. “It’s obviously a great first step to see the healing process. It’s terrific that he’s able to go out and swing and get where he needs to be to help us on the offensive side. We look for hopefully better things when he’s evaluated again to see when he can start throwing. There’s no doubt that it’s an exciting first step.”

Three weeks ago, Ohtani received a platelet-rich plasma injection and he underwent stem-cell therapy to treat the damaged ligament. Eppler said Ohtani would not have had to stop hitting at all if he’d only been a DH, but because the Angels also want to preserve his future as a pitcher, they gave him time off.

June 29, 2018 Page 5 of 60

Now, they are confident that enough healing has occurred that he can begin hitting workouts without interfering with the continued healing. Ohtani is a right-handed pitcher and left-handed hitter, so the stresses are different enough that hitting doesn’t jeopardize his injured right elbow.

Ohtani was set to take regular batting practice on Thursday and Friday. Eppler said if that progressed well, he could face live pitching as soon as this weekend.

Eppler said Ohtani will not play in minor league rehab games. They will instead have him work his way back in simulated games or other controlled environments, which they can do because he doesn’t play in the field.

The news that he is on his way, at least as a hitter, was certainly a positive development for an Angels team wracked by injuries.

“Personally I was very pleased,” Eppler said. “You want to get as much of your 25-man roster that you break spring training with, you want to get as much of that back together as you can. He had been an important member of our club, on the mound and in the batters’ box. To hear that he can take the next step to rejoin our club as a hitter, that’s news I was hoping to hear.”

As Ohtani gets closer to a return to the lineup, it will beg the question of how the Angels plan to use him and Albert Pujols. When Ohtani was pitching, it provided a natural break of about three days a week when Pujols was the designated hitter. If Ohtani is only hitting, he could theoretically hit every day, but it would be difficult to ask Pujols to play first base every day.

“It’s going to work,” Scioscia said, without elaborating. “We are definitely going to get (Ohtani) in the lineup as much as we can.”

MORE HEALING

Garrett Richards (hamstring) is scheduled for a rehab assignment on Friday with Class-A Inland Empire.

If the Angels determine that one game is enough for Richards, he could rejoin the rotation as soon as next week in Seattle.

Jefry Marte (wrist) will also play in Friday’s Inland Empire game.

Mike Trout (sprained finger) felt good while throwing before Thursday’s game, so he could return to center field as soon as Friday in Baltimore. Trout has been the Angels’ designated hitter for the past nine games.

JEWELL UPDATE

Jake Jewell, who had to be taken off the field on a stretcher in his third big league game on Friday, was diagnosed with a fractured right fibula, requiring season-ending surgery.

Jewell went to cover the plate after a wild pitch in the eighth inning on Wednesday, and he slid awkwardly, breaking his leg.

June 29, 2018 Page 6 of 60

ALSO

To take Jewell’s spot, Eduardo Paredes was recalled for his eighth separate stint in the major leagues.

The Angels also recalled right-hander Taylor Cole, who had been signed as a minor league free agent during spring training. Cole had appeared in one big league game, with the Toronto Blue Jays, last year. He had a 4.53 ERA at Triple-A this year. Cole replaced infielder Nolan Fontana, who was optioned after one day. The Angels needed more bullpen coverage after relievers worked 4-2/3 innings on Wednesday. …

Zack Cozart, who is having season-ending shoulder surgery, was placed on the 60-day disabled list to create a spot on the 40-man roster for Cole. …

Jabari Blash was the only Salt Lake City player selected for the Triple-A All-Star Game. Blash was leading the Pacific Coast League with 22 homers and a 1.237 OPS.

UP NEXT

Angels (Felix Peña, 0-0, 5.40) at Orioles (David Hess, 2-4, 5.44), Friday, 4 p.m., Fox Sports West, KLAA (830 AM)

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels can't hold on to lead in 4-2 loss to Red Sox

By Jeff Miller

If it seems as though the Angels were thumped historically by the Boston Red Sox this season, that’s

only because they were.

By losing at Fenway Park again Thursday — this time 4-2 — the Angels became the first team to be

swept by Boston in a season series of at least six games in 100-plus years.

Evidently, when going back further than a century, the records become a little sketchy.

The latest defeat also was the Angels’ season-high sixth in a row overall and dropped them to 41-41.

They haven’t been below .500 since losing on opening day.

“These guys are all playing hard,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “Everybody in that room is nicked up…

We will get through this, for sure. We will play better baseball. We really believe that.”

The Angels finished 0-6 against the Red Sox, and that’s without having faced Chris Sale. No Angels team

ever had played an entire season without beating Boston at least once.

June 29, 2018 Page 7 of 60

They were outscored in the season series 49-12 and, entering Thursday, had given up in the first five

meetings — chronologically — 10, nine, eight, nine and nine runs.

Rookie Jaime Barria finally put a stop to the chaos by limiting Boston to only a Rafael Devers solo homer

through five innings.

At that point, the score was 1-1, and the Angels already had enjoyed the one-swing windfall that

was Andrelton Simmons’ fourth-inning solo home run.

Simmons’ shot was the first time the Angels led Boston this season, a stretch that extended for 48

innings.

It also was their first lead over anyone since June 22, when they beat Toronto at home, 49 innings

earlier.

But the good fortune didn’t last. After the Devers home run, Boston broke the tie in the sixth on a bases-

loaded walk by reliever Jose Alvarez. The run — like the loss — was charged to Barria, who walked J.D.

Martinez before being lifted.

“Jose’s definitely a strike thrower,” Scioscia said. “He just missed with one.”

Richards to have rehab start

Garrett Richards (hamstring) is set to start Friday for single-A Inland Empire in his latest step toward

rejoining the rotation. If all goes well, he could start for the Angels on Wednesday in Seattle.

That starting spot, at the moment, is being occupied by Felix Pena, a converted reliever who has pitched

nine innings total in two starts.

Infielder Jefry Marte (wrist) also will play for the 66ers on Friday in his first rehabilitation start.

Short hops

Reliever Jake Jewell is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday for a fractured right fibula. He’ll miss the

rest of the season. The rookie was injured Wednesday against Boston on a play at the plate… Zack

Cozart, who also is out for the season, will have surgery on his left shoulder Friday… The Angels added

relievers Eduardo Paredes and Taylor Cole from triple-A Salt Lake and optioned infielder Nolan

Fontana back down.

Shohei Ohtani has been cleared to resume training as a hitter

By Jeff Miller

Shohei Ohtani has been cleared medically to begin work as a hitter, giving the Angels hope they’ll

receive a boost soon to their slumping batting order.

June 29, 2018 Page 8 of 60

The rookie was re-evaluated Thursday in Southern California and received the go-ahead after an MRI

exam showed improvement to the grade 2 sprain in his right ulnar collateral ligament.

General manager Billy Eppler wouldn’t give a timetable for Ohtani’s return, but he did indicate Ohtani

could face live pitching in a batting cage as early as this weekend.

As for the possible resumption of Ohtani’s pitching career, Eppler said he wouldn’t know more until

another re-evaluation in three weeks.

Eppler also said Ohtani will do most of his work in a private and controlled setting as opposed to a more

traditional minor league rehabilitation assignment. This will allow the Angels to better direct his

recovery.

Ohtani received plasma-rich platelet and stem cell injections June 7. The latest test results suggest the

more conservative approach to treatment is working.

Eppler said no doctors of yet have indicated ligament replacement surgery is required. The team hopes

Ohtani can avoid such a procedure.

Ohtani has been swinging one-handed and tracking pitches recently to ease his transition back into

hitting.

Although the Angels, beset by injuries, certainly could use Ohtani in their starting rotation, getting back

in the batting order would be a significant development given their troubles of late.

Entering their game Thursday against Boston, the Angels (41-40) had lost five in a row and fallen into

fourth place in the American League West.

Although Ohtani provided several memorable moments offensively during the season’s first two

months, he had cooled before going on the disabled list.

In his last 13 games, he is eight for 41 with one homer and four RBIs. During that time, his average fell

from .342 to .289.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Barria battles, but Halos' woes vs. Sox continue

Angels swept by Boston in six-game season series

By Maria Guardado

June 29, 2018 Page 9 of 60

BOSTON -- Since joining the American League in 1961, the Angels had never been swept in a season

series by the Red Sox. That streak came to an end Thursday night after the Red Sox rallied for a 4-2 win

at Fenway Park, completing the six-game 2018 sweep.

Andrelton Simmons homered off left-hander Brian Johnson to put the Angels on the board in the

fourth, but the Red Sox tied it on Rafael Devers' solo shot in the fifth before scoring the go-ahead run in

the sixth when Jose Alvarez issued a bases-loaded walk to Brock Holt. Jackie Bradley Jr. added a pair of

insurance runs with a two-run homer off Noe Ramirez in the seventh.

The Angels were thoroughly outclassed by the Red Sox, who outscored them by a 49-12 margin this

season. With the loss, the Angels dropped to .500 (41-41) for the first time since they were 1-1 on March

30. After losing 13 of their last 17 games, the Angels have sunk to fourth place in the AL West, a season-

high 13 1/2 games behind the first-place Astros and 10 games behind the Mariners for the second Wild

Card spot.

"We're not in a good spot right now, but it's not always smooth sailing," Ian Kinsler said. "I think that's

what makes a baseball season so interesting. You've got to learn how to deal with adversity. Right now,

we're going through one of those stages. There's another game tomorrow, and everything can change in

a day."

Rookie Jaime Barria was charged with two runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings, though he received little

help from his offense, which mustered only six hits against five Red Sox pitchers. The 21-year-old right-

hander was the only Angels starter to pitch past the fourth inning at Fenway Park this year.

"I'm always here to compete," Barria said in Spanish. "I knew it was a tough lineup, but I talked to my

mom and I told her that I was facing a tough team, and she just told me to keep doing what I've been

doing, have faith and attack the way I always do."

Facing one of the AL's top offenses, Barria opened with four scoreless innings before yielding a leadoff

home run to Devers in the fifth that tied the game, 1-1. Barria returned to the mound for the sixth with

his pitch count at 91 and retired Andrew Benintendi on a groundout, then walked J.D. Martinez,

prompting manager Mike Scioscia to bring in Alvarez to face the left-handed-hitting Mitch Moreland.

After Moreland doubled to put runners on second and third with one out, the Angels intentionally

walked Xander Bogaerts to load the bases for Holt, another lefty bat. The move backfired, as Alvarez

walked Holt to force in a run and give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. Alvarez escaped further damage by

inducing a 1-2-3 inning-ending double play from Devers.

"Jose is definitely a strike-thrower," Scioscia said. "He got behind in the count and missed with the last

one [to Holt]."

Ramirez replaced Alvarez in the seventh, but he gave up a leadoff single to Christian Vazquez, followed

by a two-run homer to Bradley that made it 4-1.

June 29, 2018 Page 10 of 60

The Angels had a rally going in the eighth, but it was thwarted by a pair of nice defensive plays from

Boston's outfield. Mike Trout led off the inning with a walk and, after moving to third on Justin Upton's

single, scored on Albert Pujols' RBI single to bring the Angels within two.

Simmons then lined a shot to right field, but Mookie Betts came running in to make the catch and

record the first out of the inning. David Fletcher followed by driving a first-pitch fastball from Joe

Kellydeep to left field, but Benintendi made a leaping catch in front of the Green Monster to rob him of

extra bases. Luis Valbuena subsequently flied out to end the inning, leaving a pair of runners stranded.

Kole Calhoun drew a one-out walk off Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel to bring the tying run to the plate in

the ninth, but Kimbrel rebounded by striking out Kinsler and Trout swinging to end the game.

"We just have to turn the page," Trout said. "We ran into a hot team. We're banged up, but we can't

make excuses. We have to try to go out, try to win a series and try to win a game tomorrow."

SOUND SMART

Trout has gone 13 consecutive games without an extra-base hit, the longest drought of his career. He

has started nine of those games at designated hitter because of a sprained right index finger, though he

said he doesn't feel the malady has affected his hitting. Trout is hoping to return to center field for

Friday's opener in Baltimore.

HE SAID IT

"We will get through this, for sure. We're going to get better and play better baseball. We really believe

that." -- Scioscia, on the Angels' outlook despite having a six-game losing streak

UP NEXT

The Angels head to Baltimore to open a three-game series against the Orioles on Friday at 4:05 p.m. PT

at Camden Yards. Right-hander Felix Pena (0-0, 5.40 ERA) will oppose righty David Hess (2-4, 5.44 ERA)

in the series opener. A converted reliever, Pena is set to make his third start for the Angels and his first

against Baltimore. The Angels swept the Orioles in their three-game series at Angel Stadium in May.

Ohtani cleared to take batting practice

Phenom will be re-evaluated to see if he can pitch again this season

By Maria Guardado

BOSTON -- The injury-riddled Angels finally received some good news on Thursday, as general manager

Billy Eppler said Shohei Ohtani has been cleared to begin a formal hitting progression.

Ohtani underwent an MRI on Thursday morning that showed healing in the sprained ulnar collateral

ligament in his right elbow. Eppler said Ohtani will resume taking batting practice immediately and could

progress to facing live pitching this weekend if all goes well.

June 29, 2018 Page 11 of 60

"Personally, I was very pleased," Eppler said during a conference call with reporters. "He has been an

important member of our club, both on the mound and in the batter's box. To hear that he's allowed to

take the next step to rejoin our club as a hitter, that's news I was hoping to hear, and we did.

"I don't want to speak for [Ohtani], but I know that not being able to play baseball competitively and

only being able to train doesn't really satisfy his appetite and doesn't satisfy his hunger to play. He's now

one step closer, so I can only assume he's excited about it."

Eppler said Ohtani will be re-evaluated in another three weeks to determine whether he'll also be able

to return to pitch this season. Ohtani landed on the disabled list with a Grade 2 sprain of the UCL in his

right elbow on June 8 and received stem cell and platelet-rich plasma injections in an attempt to heal

the damaged ligament.

While Ohtani's latest MRI showed improvement, the 23-year-old two-way phenom could ultimately face

Tommy John surgery. Still, Eppler reiterated that the Angels' doctors have not yet recommended that

that course of action.

"No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time," Eppler said.

Since Ohtani throws right-handed and bats left-handed, Eppler received assurances from doctors that

Ohtani will not put his throwing elbow at further risk by resuming hitting activities. Even after he was

shut down from throwing, Ohtani had been preparing for a potential return as a batter by taking one-

armed swings in the batting cage and standing in on a bullpen session to see live pitching.

Eppler said Ohtani will not play in Minor League rehab games as he works his way back from injury, as

Ohtani doesn't need to play defense and the Angels prefer to have him rehab in a more controlled

environment.

"We can control a little bit more of the progression," Eppler said. "When players play in rehabilitation

games, they are bound by the rules of the game now. It's not like Minor League Spring Training. You

have to wait to hit, you're limited by the number of innings in that game as to how many at-bats you can

take. This allows for more freedom, structure and control."

Ohtani was batting .289 with a .907 OPS and six home runs in 34 games prior to the injury. He was just

as impactful on the mound, going 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 49 1/3 innings.

"We're excited," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's terrific that he's able to go out there and swing now

and start to hopefully get where he needs to be to help us on the offensive side. We look for hopefully

better things when he's evaluated again to see when he can start throwing. There's no doubt it's an

exciting first step."

Ohtani's potential return as a full-time DH would create one significant wrinkle for the Angels, as Albert

Pujols would then be forced to play more first base to keep both of their bats in the lineup. Pujols, 38,

has already started 43 games at first this season -- more than his previous two years combined.

June 29, 2018 Page 12 of 60

"It's going to work," Scioscia said when asked how he envisioned that situation playing out. "We're going

to get them into the lineup as much as we can."

Worth noting

• Mike Trout (sprained right index finger) started his ninth consecutive game at DH on Thursday, but

Scioscia said he could return to center field on Friday in Baltimore.

• Garrett Richards (left hamstring strain) and Jefry Marte (left wrist sprain) will begin rehab assignments

with Class A Advanced Inland Empire on Friday. Scioscia said Richards is scheduled for a "multi-inning"

appearance, leaving open the possibility that he could return to pitch for the Angels in Seattle next

week.

• Zack Cozart will undergo season-ending surgery with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Friday morning to repair a

torn labrum in his left shoulder. Cozart was transferred to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man

roster for right-hander Taylor Cole, who was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday for his first

stint with the Angels.

Cole, 28, was 3-0 with a 4.53 ERA over 47 2/3 innings in 29 appearances for Salt Lake this season. He

made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays last August, yielding four runs over one inning against the

Yankees.

• The Angels placed Jake Jewell on the 10-day DL with a right fibula fracture on Thursday; he is expected

to miss the rest of the season. The team recalled Eduardo Paredes from Triple-A Salt Lake for the eighth

time this season. Infielder Nolan Fontana was also optioned.

Jewell to have surgery, out for rest of season

By Maria Guardado

BOSTON -- After being carted off the field in the eighth inning of the Angels' 9-6 loss to the Red Sox on

Wednesday, rookie right-hander Jake Jewell will have season-ending surgery to repair a fractured right

fibula.

Jewell, who was pitching in his third MLB game after being recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on

Wednesday, uncorked a wild pitch during an at-bat against Mitch Moreland, prompting J.D. Martinezto

attempt to score from third base. Catcher Martin Maldonado fielded the ball and threw to Jewell as he

ran toward the plate, but Jewell's right spike appeared to get caught under him, causing his leg to bend

awkwardly.

Athletic trainers from both dugouts immediately attended to Jewell, who was later taken to

Massachusetts General Hospital for further treatment.

June 29, 2018 Page 13 of 60

"I felt bad," Martinez said. "I kept saying, 'I didn't touch him. I didn't touch him.' I didn't even feel any

impact or anything like that, so those are kind of the scariest ones almost. It looked like he was in a lot of

pain. Obviously, prayers to him, and I feel bad. You never want to see that happen."

Jewell's injury capped a tough day for the Angels, who placed John Lamb on the disabled list with

inflammation in his left shoulder and elbow and announced that infielder Zack Cozart will undergo

season-ending shoulder surgery. The club currently has 13 players on the disabled list.

"It was really sad, especially for a young guy," Maldonado said of Jewell. "It's always hard when you

have to see a teammate go down like that."

5 international prospects to watch from AL West

By T.R. Sullivan

Monday's international free-agent signing day ranks right there with the first day of the MLB Draft as far

as importance for Major League clubs.

The rules and procedures are different and clubs don't all put the same emphasis on international

scouting, especially in Latin America. The players are also younger than those drafted -- the best are

usually just 16 years old -- and require more patience. But every international signing period represents

a significant opportunity for a club to add young talent to their system.

Here are five prospects from the American League West who show the impact that international

signings can have on a club.

Angels: SS Kevin Maitan (Dec. 5. 2017)

How he's doing: The Angels weren't the first to sign Maitan. The Braves signed him on July 2, 2016, but

he was declared a free agent last winter by the Commissioner's Office as part of the Braves' punishment

for international scouting violations. The Angels ended up signing him for $2.2 million and he is now

their No. 2 prospect in their farm system, along with 78th overall by MLB Pipeline. He was a big

addition to a depleted farm system, although right now he is playing in the Rookie-level Pioneer League.

He is a switch-hitter with power from both sides.

ETA: Maitan is obviously just getting started but could move quickly if the bat shows up early. He may

end up being a corner infielder, but he has a good feel for the game and the hitting ability to be a

middle-of-the-order impact bat.

Astros: LHP Cionel Perez (Dec. 9, 2016).

How he's doing: With a small frame and a quick arm, the 22-year-old Cuban has excelled at Double-A

Corpus Christi this year, going 5-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings over his first 14

outings (10 starts). He throws in the low 90s with sink, and his slider and changeup have improved.

June 29, 2018 Page 14 of 60

ETA: Perez's long-term future could be in the bullpen because of his stature and the Astros' wealth of

starting pitching. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him in the big leagues later this year. If not, he's likely

to compete for a roster spot in 2019.

Athletics: Lazaro "Lazarito" Armenteros (July 2, 2016)

How he's doing: Ranked No. 7 among A's prospects, Armenteros was assigned to Class A Short Season

Beloit for the start of his first full professional season. He was riding a .289 average with four home runs

when he suffered a quad injury that forced him to the seven-day disabled list earlier this month. The 19-

year-old, signed by the A's for $3 million at the start of the 2016-17 international period, should be back

in action next month.

ETA: Thought to be one of the most dynamic talents to come out of Cuba in recent years, Armenteros

could move quickly through the A's system. It's far too early, however, to put a timetable on him. The

outfielder is expected to remain in Beloit, before advancing to Class A Advanced Stockton in 2019. His

skill set begs comparisons to a Cuban phenom familiar to A's fans: Yoenis Cespedes.

Mariners: Julio Rodriguez (signed July 2, 2017)

How he's doing: The 17-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic is a five-tool prospect who

signed with the Mariners for a $1.75 million bonus last year and was immediately installed as Seattle's

No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline. At 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Rodriguez has intriguing size and raw power

for a teenager, along with a strong arm and decent speed. Most scouts project him as a future right

fielder with middle-of-the-order offensive potential.

ETA: If he progresses as hoped, the youngster could be ready to contribute to the Mariners in about four

years. He'll be 21 in 2022.

Rangers: Leody Taveras (July 2, 2015)

How he's doing: Taveras remains the Rangers' No. 1 prospect and No. 30 overall by MLB Pipeline. He is

still just 19 but holding his own with the Down East Wood Ducks in the Class A Advanced Carolina

League. His outstanding speed and athleticism makes him well suited to play center field. He is a switch-

hitter with speed and strike-zone control, while his power is still developing.

ETA: Next season will be a big one for Taveras as he closes in on making the crucial jump to Double-A.

He has always been one of the youngest players at his level, so he has yet to have a dominating

confidence-building season. But it is possible he could make his Major League debut in 2020 and be

ready for a full-time job in '21.

June 29, 2018 Page 15 of 60

FROM THE ATHLETIC

Awards Watch: New names emerge in the MVP race and all bets are off for Rookie of the Year

By Cliff Corcoran

The end of June marks the halfway point of the 2018 Major League Baseball season, which gives us two excuses to check back in on the races for the three major Baseball Writers’ Association of America player awards with another edition of Awards Watch. This time around, we find just one new leader (in the still-wide-open National League Rookie of the Year race), but that doesn’t mean there is not drama afoot. Things are suddenly extremely tight in the American League Cy Young and Rookie of the Year races, and there are three new names in my top five for the NL MVP, another award which is largely up for grabs. Meanwhile, the leaders for AL MVP and NL Cy Young, both of whom have already won the award in question multiple times, are having career-best seasons

The rankings below are based on who would most deserve each award if the season had ended Thursday night. Last month’s rankings are in parentheses after each player’s name, where relevant. “Off the list” indicates players who have fallen out of the top five since last month. League-leading statistics are in bold. Major-league-leading statistics are in bold and italics. Rookies are players with fewer than 130 plate appearances or 50 innings pitched in the major leagues prior to this year who also had fewer than 45 days on an active major league roster prior to this year (not counting time on the disabled list or during expanded rosters in September). Ozzie Albies and Josh Hader are not rookies.

Most Valuable Player

American League

1. Mike Trout, CF, Angels (1)

.320/.460/.651 (205 OPS+), .451 xwOBA, 23 HR, 71 BB, 71 K, 13 SB (93%)

When we last checked in with Trout, he had a 206 OPS+, prompting the note that the last qualified hitter to finish a season with an OPS+ of 200 or better was Barry Bonds in 2004. Let’s see how Trout is doing with another month of games under his belt . . . 205 OPS+. Hmm, this guy might be good. There may be half a season left (the Angels played their 81st game on Wednesday), but this is Trout’s award to lose at this point. The only real drama in this race right now concerns Trout’s chance of catching Babe Ruth’s single-season position-player record of 14.1 wins above replacement (Baseball-Reference version), set in 1923. Entering Wednesday’s action, Trout was on pace for 13.2 bWAR, which would be the second highest position-player total of all time. Slacker.

2. Mookie Betts, RF, Red Sox (2)

.336/.425/.676 (190 OPS+), .488 xwOBA, 20 HR, 35 BB, 35 K, 14 SB (88%)

Betts missed two weeks with an abdominal strain in early June and has hit a relatively pedestrian .259/.388/.426 in 14 games since his return. That has allowed Trout to open up a sizeable lead in

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what had been a very close race a month ago. Betts’ is still neck and neck with a top candidate in this race, but instead of the first-place Trout, that candidate is the man in third place.

3. José Ramírez, 3B, Indians (3)

.291/.395/.598 (161 OPS+), .409 xwOBA, 23 HR, 52 BB, 42 K, 13 SB (87%)

Ramírez surged into this race by hitting .336/.432/.757 with 11 home runs in May. Unsurprisingly, he cooled off in June, but has still slugged .500 and reached base at a .400 clip on the month. Combine that production with near-perfect attendance (he has missed one game all year and started every game in which he has appeared) and his excellent work in the field and on the bases, and he’s hot on Betts’ heels for the runner-up position. You know, “if for any reason Mike Trout cannot fulfill his duty as the American League’s Most Valuable Player . . .” I’m pretty sure the BBWAA is adding that to the official voting rules this year.

4. Francisco Lindor, SS, Indians

.288/.364/.539 (137 OPS+), .393 xwOBA, 19 HR, 35 BB, 65 K, 10 (83%)

So far this season, Lindor has been the player Manny Machado hoped he would be when he moved back to shortstop. Indeed, their batting lines are very similar, but while Manny has struggled to make the adjustment to his new/old position, Lindor has remained one of the major leagues’ best fielders at the game’s most crucial defensive position. Lindor also runs the bases better than Machado. As Cleveland’s leadoff hitter in all but six games, and a top-four hitter in the lineup in five of the other six, Lindor is second in the American League in plate appearances (367), amplifying the value of his glove, bat, and legs and making him an easy choice for the fourth spot on this list.

5. José Altuve, 2B, Astros

.345/.410/.489 (157 OPS+), .390 xwOBA, 7 HR, 35 BB, 46 K, 12 SB (86%)

The irony of the AL MVP race is that, while no one is close to catching Trout, there might be eight players in the AL having seasons good enough to win the award in the other league. Altuve takes the fifth spot here, but not far behind him are Aaron Judge, J.D Martinez, and Eddie Rosario. Machado could rejoin the list if his defense improves in the second half, and defensive wizards Matt Chapman and Andrelton Simmons might be right there, as well, though both will have to compensate for time lost to injury.

As for the defending AL MVP, Altuve has surged back into contention via a .364/.477/.545 performance in June. On the season, his on-base percentage and major-league-leading batting average are almost exact matches to his figures from his MVP-award-winning season of a year ago (.410 and .346), but his home runs and steals are both down relative to recent seasons. Altuve hasn’t lost any speed, according to Statcast, but he has been a bit more selective about running this season, attempting just 14 steals in Houston’s first 82 games this year compared to 19 through 82 games last year.

As for his power, he’s hitting the ball at a similar angle and as hard, if not harder, as ever, again per Statcast. He is on pace to match his doubles and triples totals from last year. His drop in home runs

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could simply be a reflection of the league-wide drop in home-run rate. Altuve averaged just 393 feet on his home runs last year, compared to 399 feet this year, so perhaps, with the ball not carrying as well as it did last year, some of his wall-scrapers are staying in play.

Off the list: Aaron Judge, Manny Machado

National League

1. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Braves (1)

.318/.408/.548 (161 OPS+), .417 xwOBA 15 HR, 46 BB, 67 K

The plate discipline that has been driving Freeman’s MVP campaign this season fell off a bit in June, but he compensated with his most powerful month, slugging .570 with six home runs through Thursday’s action. That consistency, along with the reliability of his having started every Braves game this season, and completed all but three of them (all blowout wins which he exited in or after the seventh inning), has helped make Freeman the most productive hitter in the National League this season by a large enough margin to keep him ahead of several challengers with more diverse skill sets.

2. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies (3)

.308/.393/.584 (144 OPS+), .383 xwOBA, 19 HR, 42 BB, 60 K

Arenado has had a very streaky June. He opened the month with a trio of two-hit games and went on to stretch an active hitting streak to nine games. However, after singling in the first inning of the ninth game of that streak, he suffered an 0-for-19 skid. Last week, he homered in four straight games, going 10-for-17 (.588) over that stretch, but he has since gone 2-for-20 (though both hits were homers). Add it all up, and his season line hasn’t budged all that much from where it was a month ago. Arenado moves up a spot this month because Brandon Belt had an awful June, losing two weeks to an appendectomy and hitting just .244/.306/.422 in 12 games since his return to drop out of the top five.

3. Lorenzo Cain, CF, Brewers

.291/.394/.438 (124 OPS+), .347 xwOBA, 8 HR, 43 BB, 53 K, 16 SB (84%)

Cain has seen a dramatic increase in his walk rate this season. After walking in 6.8 percent of his plate appearances over the last six years, he has taken ball four in 13.8 percent of his PA’s this year. That and escaping the cavernous Kauffman Stadium have helped compensate for a curious drop in his launch angle from roughly 9.5 degrees over the last three years to just 6.8 degrees this year, a change which has spiked his groundball rate. Fortunately for Cain, he’s still as fast as ever, and that speed is what has made him one of the most valuable players in the National League this year, from his 12 infield hits, to his 16 stolen bases in 19 attempts, to — most importantly — his superlative play in center field. In that way, the Brewers have gotten exactly what they paid for in Cain thus far. Unfortunately, that also includes fragility, as Cain hit the disabled list on Tuesday with a groin strain.

4. J.T. Realmuto, C, Marlins

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.308/.367/.549 (154 OPS+), .388 xwOBA, 10 HR, 16 BB, 46 K

Given his all-around excellence as a hitter, receiver, and baserunner, Realmuto would rank higher were it not for injuries. He missed the first 16 games of the regular season after wrenching his back in a collision at second base in spring training and suffered another setback after taking a foul-tip off his glove hand in Sunday’s game. As a result, he has just 247 plate appearances this season to Cain’s 312, Arenado’s 331, and Freeman’s 355. Attendance matters in the MVP voting. It’s in the rules sent to the voters each fall, and it’s why Brandon Nimmo and Max Muncy will have to sustain their performances for a while longer before cracking this list.

5. Joey Votto, 1B, Reds

.297/.429/.452 (140 OPS+), .437 xwOBA, 8 HR, 61 BB, 52 K

Votto is up to his usual tricks as the game’s preeminent on-base machine, but his power is down this year. It’s difficult to suss out why. His launch angle and hard-hit rates are consistent with past years, and his expected slugging percentage, based on Statcast data, is .565. If anything is amiss, it’s that he seems to be barreling up the ball less often. There’s not much cause for concern there. Votto typically finds another gear in the second half. On his career, he has added nearly 30 points of on-base percentage and more than 40 points of slugging after the All-Star break.

Note that Votto is one of three Reds infielders worth keeping an eye on in this race. Second baseman Scooter Gennett falls off the list this month, but is still leading the NL in batting average and hitting .331/.370/.527 (140 OPS+) on the season, while third baseman Eugenio Suárez is hitting .304/.389/.575 (158 OPS+). Those three, and the strong showing of the Cincinnati bullpen, are big reasons why the Reds are a surprising 31-32 under interim manager Jim Riggleman.

Off the list: Brandon Belt, A.J. Pollock, Scooter Gennett

Cy Young

American League

1. Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros (1)

1.82 ERA, 205 ERA+ (2.70 FIP, 2.19 DRA), 5.91 K/BB, 31.3 K%, 0.81 WHIP, 6.7 IP/GS, 17 GS

After four months of utter domination in a Houston Astros uniform, Verlander has looked human in June. That doesn’t mean he has been bad. He has completed at least six innings in all five of his starts thus far this month — four of which were quality — and has struck out 10.6 men per nine innings with a 4.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.05 WHIP in those five June outings. However, his 3.62 ERA in those starts is just regular good, not unbelievably great. The difference has been the home run. Verlander allowed five round-trippers through his first 13 starts, but has allowed six more in his last four turns. That will bear watching, but for now, Verlander has created an opening in this race, and there’s a young stud in the Bronx who is about to run through it.

2. Luis Severino, RHP, Yankees (5)

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2.10 ERA, 202 ERA+ (2.21 FIP, 2.21 DRA), 5.08 K/BB, 30.4 K%, 0.96 WHIP, 6.6 IP/GS, 17 GS

Looking at his season start-by-start, Severino appears to have been consistently excellent all year. Only once has he allowed more than three runs in a game, that coming back on April 10. Never has he failed to complete five innings. Only once has he walked more than three men in a game, and he has yet to allow multiple home runs in a start this season. When you look at his monthly splits, however, they tell a different story:

Month ERA K/BB

March/April 2.61 3.82

May 2.03 5.00

June 1.60 8.00

Severino was flat-out dealing in June, being even more selective with his changeup, and dominating with his fastball/slider combination. The gap between him and Verlander is razor-thin at this point, and given the quality of the next two pitchers on this list, we could have one heck of a race on our hands for an award Verlander appeared to be running away with a month ago.

3. Corey Kluber, RHP, Indians (2)

2.54 ERA, 175 ERA+ (3.28 FIP, 2.55 DRA), 8.85 K/BB, 26.9 K%, 0.86 WHIP, 6.7 IP/GS, 17 GS

Prior to Tuesday night, I thought Kluber might be the pitcher to catch Verlander in this race. However, Kluber took the mound in St. Louis that night and turned in the worst start of his career, coughing up six runs while recording just five outs, increasing his ERA by nearly half a run in the process. Kluber’s two worst starts this season have now come in his last three turns. Of course, in the start in-between, he held the White Sox to a walk and a single over seven scoreless innings, so Cleveland fans need not worry just yet.

4. Chris Sale, LHP, Red Sox (4)

2.56 ERA, 172 ERA+ (2.48 FIP, 2.26 DRA), 5.46 K/BB, 35.6 K%, 0.93 WHIP, 6.4 IP/GS, 17 GS

Sale had a similar hiccup as May turned to June, allowing 10 runs in 10 1/3 innings across consecutive starts. Since then, however, he has allowed just four more runs in 28 innings (1.29 ERA) and struck out 40.6 percent of the batters he faced in those four games with a 6.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That the Red Sox won just two of those four games, and Sale took the loss in one, is yet another nail in the coffin of pitching wins.

5. Trevor Bauer, RHP, Indians

2.44 ERA, 182 ERA+ (2.24 FIP, 2.45 DRA), 4.00 K/BB, 31.8 K%, 1.09 WHIP, 6.7 IP/GS, 16 GS

Over his last eight starts dating back to mid-May, Bauer has posted a 1.93 ERA while striking out 13.3 men per nine innings and posting a 0.98 WHIP and 5.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Not all of those starts

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were pretty. He allowed seven runs (four unearned) against the Twins on June 2, and four runs in 7 1/3 innings against Houston the turn before that. However, he also struck out 10 or more men six times in those eight turns and now leads the AL with seven double-digit strikeout performances (only Max Scherzer has more in the NL). Bauer has also averaged more innings per start than any other AL pitcher, just barely edging out Verlander by a few fractions of an out.

Off the list: Gerrit Cole

National League

1. Max Scherzer, RHP, Nationals (1)

2.04 ERA, 201 ERA+ (2.19 FIP, 1.69 DRA), 6.11 K/BB, 37.1 K%, 0.86 WHIP, 6.7 IP/GS, 17 GS

Max Scherzer is a 33-year-old pitcher with three Cy Youngs to his credit and three other fifth-place finishes. Midway through this season, however, he is currently sporting career-bests in ERA, ERA+, FIP, DRA, WHIP, and K%, and is on pace to set career highs in both innings and strikeouts. With regard to the last of those, he currently leads the majors with 165 strikeouts, putting him on pace for 330, which would be the most in the major leagues since Randy Johnson struck out 334 in 2002. Even if Scherzer falls short of that total but still leads the NL in Ks (and he has a 36-strikeout lead on runner-up Patrick Corbin at the moment), he’ll still be the first pitcher to lead his league in strikeouts in four consecutive seasons since Johnson led the NL from 1999 to 2002. As good as Jacob deGrom has been this season, the better question is not whether or not Scherzer will win the Cy Young, but whether or not he could capture the MVP, as well. Don’t be surprised to see Scherzer appear on both lists a month from now.

2. Jacob deGrom, RHP, Mets (2)

1.69 ERA, 224 ERA+ (2.14 FIP, 2.18 DRA), 4.67 K/BB, 31.4 K%, 1.01 WHIP, 6.3 IP/GS, 16 GS

It is to deGrom’s credit that this is even a two-man race, though, in truth, it’s barely even that. The biggest reason for that is Scherzer’s dominance, but there is also the fact that deGrom effectively missed two starts in May as he threw just one inning on May 2 before hyperextending his pitching elbow during a plate appearance, then hit the 10-day DL and missed his next turn. As a result, deGrom has thrown 13 1/3 fewer innings than Scherzer, giving Max a bigger lead than the various rate stats above indicate.

3. Aaron Nola, RHP, Phillies (3)

2.48 ERA, 161 ERA+ (2.76 FIP, 2.63 DRA), 3.45 K/BB, 25.2 K%, 1.01 WHIP, 6.4 IP/GS, 17 GS

A poor outing in Milwaukee two turns ago stalled Nola’s climb in this race. He has since recovered with two strong outings against the division-rival Nationals and has turned in four quality starts in five turns on the month, but June was still his least impressive month of the season thus far. Of particular note, he issued multiple walks in a game just four times in his first 12 starts this season, but has done so four more times in just five starts in June, posting a 3.8 BB/9 on the month with a weak 2.54 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Still, 13 of Nola’s last 15 starts have been quality, as has every one of his home starts this season.

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4. Ross Stripling, RHP, Dodgers

1.98 ERA, 193 ERA+ (2.61 FIP, 2.06 DRA), 7.42 K/BB, 28.8 K%, 1.07 WHIP, 5.6 IP/GS, 11 GS, 22 G

Best known for twirling 7 1/3 hitless innings in his major league debut on April 8, 2016, Stripling threw 174 1/3 major league innings in 2016 and ’17 combined across 16 starts and 55 relief appearances, posting a 105 ERA+ with roughly league-average peripherals. That workman-like performance painted the 28-year-old righty as a reliable innings-eater and swing-man coming into this season, but he has thus far proven to be so much more.

Stripling opened 2018 in the bullpen, allowing just one run in 14 1/3 innings over his first 10 appearances. After a disappointing spot start, he added one more scoreless relief outing before Clayton Kershaw’s back injury forced Stripling back into the rotation on May 6. Stripling threw four scoreless frames in that game, then stretched out over his next two, dominating the Nationals for six innings on May 19 (1 R, 0 BB, 9 K). He has now made 10 starts since replacing Kershaw in the rotation. In those starts, he has posted a 1.86 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 70 strikeouts against five walks in 58 innings for a 10.9 K/9 and 14.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio over that span. On the season, his impressive line above has come in just 77 1/3 innings, well shy of the roughly 100 innings pitched by his competitors for this spot, but the quality of his performance in those innings has been enough to earn him a prominent position on this list.

5. Patrick Corbin, RHP, Diamondbacks (4)

3.24 ERA, 133 ERA+ (2.85 FIP, 2.78 DRA), 4.78 K/BB, 32.5 K%, 1.00 WHIP, 6.3 IP/GS, 16 GS

Corbin’s June has thus far consisted of two good starts and two bad ones, and a clear pattern has emerged. In his last four home starts, he has a 7.71 ERA. In his last five road starts, he has a 1.47 ERA. Those road starts have all come at pitching-friendly venues (Dodger Stadium, Citi Field, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, AT&T Park, and PNC Park), but the gap in Corbin’s performance is so large that there must be more than mere park factors at play. Corbin has also had a huge swing in opponents’ batting average on balls in play in those games — .232 in the road starts, .394 in the home starts — so perhaps some of it is luck. Team-wide, the BABIP split goes the other way, so you can’t really blame the Arizona defense. Last year, Corbin was far better at home than on the road (3.15 ERA vs. 5.09 outside of Phoenix), which would seem to rule out comfort or mental issues relating to his home ballpark. It may just be an oddly consistent fluke. Still, one gets the sense that Corbin’s season is slowly unraveling. He has a 4.41 ERA over his last eight starts and has yet to recover the two miles per hour he lost off his fastball when May arrived. Still, he was so good in his first eight starts that he managed to remain in the top five here for one more month despite the gains of the Cubs’ Jon Lester and the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland.

Off the list: Miles Mikolas

Rookie of the Year

American League

1. Shohei Ohtani, LHP/DH, Angels (1)

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.289/.372/.535 (150 OPS+), .375 xwOBA, 6 HR, 15 BB, 33 K, 129 PA

3.10 ERA, 130 ERA+ (3.22 FIP, 3.11 DRA), 3.05 K/BB, 30.5 K%, 1.14 WHIP, 9 GS, 49 1/3 IP

Ohtani made just one start and 12 plate appearances in June before hitting the disabled list with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, an injury which has put his entire season in doubt. However, he did enough prior to that injury to sustain his lead in this race, at least to this point. That’s because the 23-year-old was effectively two players for the Angels: a hitter with the highest OPS+ among AL rookies with at least 100 plate appearances this season, and a pitcher with the second-highest ERA+ among AL rookies with at least 40 innings pitched.

Ohtani had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow soon after his diagnosis and has been taking one-handed batting practice. The Angels hope he will be able to avoid Tommy John surgery and return as a two-way player this season, but they are open to the idea of him returning as a designated hitter only. The logic is that Ohtani has proven himself valuable enough at the plate to risk having him play through the injury as a hitter. He could then have surgery in the offseason, if necessary, as he’d likely be lost as a pitcher for the bulk of the 2019 season either way at this point. Ohtani remains one of the game’s most fascinating players, even while on the disabled list.

2. Gleyber Torres, 2B, Yankees (2)

.284/.341/.537 (134 OPS+), .393 xwOBA, 14 HR, 15 BB, 55 K, 221 PA

Torres cooled off a bit in June but still has had consecutive hitless games on only one occasion on the month. The first of those games was the second game of a doubleheader in which he had homered in the first game, so the 21-year-old hasn’t gone without a hit in consecutive days (on which he played, of course) since May 26 and 27.

3. Miguel Andújar, 3B, Yankees (3)

.276/.303/.506 (114 OPS+), .350 xwOBA, 11 HR, 10 BB, 49 K, 274 PA

The advanced defensive metrics are unanimous in strongly disapproving of Andújar’s play in the field, but in a rookie field that is slowly collapsing around Torres, the power in Andújar’s bat and his firm grasp on the Yankees’ third-base job are keeping him in the race. Andújar slugged .536 in June with six home runs, more than doubling his season total through the end of May. The 23-year-old still needs to learn to draw a walk, his fielding clearly needs work, and 25-year-old Brandon Drury is hitting .315/.419/.494 in Triple A. Yet, as long as Andújar is hitting for power, and his team is keeping pace with the Red Sox for the best record in baseball, the Yankees will likely continue to let their rookie third baseman learn on the job.

4. Max Stassi, C, Astros

.250/.329/.478 (127 OPS+), .327 xwOBA, 7 HR, 13 BB, 46 K, 152 PA

Given a chance to be the Astros’ everyday catcher with Brian McCann on the disabled list to open June, Stassi promptly went 0-for-17. Since McCann has returned, Stassi has gone 7-for-31 (.226) with four

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extra-base hits and four walks, still well below his performance over the first two months of the season. However, the 27-year-old Stassi is more than a late-blooming backup catcher who has had a couple of hot months. He is also an elite pitch-framer, a skill he first displayed in Triple A last year. Combine his bat, his position, and his value as a receiver relative to other catchers, as well as the poor showing of several other AL rookie contenders in June, and Stassi climbs back on the list despite his poor month at the plate.

5. Brad Keller, RHP, Royals

2.25 ERA, 185 ERA+ (3.31 FIP, 5.28 DRA), 1.67 K/BB, 15.4 K%, 1.23 WHIP, 26 G, 5 GS, 48 IP

A Rule 5 pick selected out of the Diamondbacks’ organization by the Reds in December and sold to Kansas City, Keller, a former eighth-round pick, jumped from posting a 4.68 ERA in 26 starts in Double A last year to the major league bullpen this April. The 22-year-old groundballer proved capable in April, then peeled off nine straight scoreless outings in May, including three scoreless innings of relief against Cleveland on May 11. When Eric Skoglund went down with a UCL sprain at the end of May, Keller got a crack at the rotation and has since posted 2.45 ERA over five starts, albeit with lousy peripherals. Still, with mid-90s heat and a sinker/slider combination that yields a ton of groundballs, he’s getting the job done for the Royals, most recently holding the Angels scoreless for seven innings.

Keep an eye on Rays first baseman Jake Bauers and Cleveland righty Shane Bieber, two June call-ups who could break into this increasingly weak top five next month.

Off the list: Joey Wendle, Ryan Yarbrough

National League

1. Jack Flaherty, Cardinals (5)

2.92 ERA, 134 ERA+ (3.75 FIP, 2.42 DRA), 4.06 K/BB, 29.1 K%, 1.07 WHIP, 5.6 IP/GS, 11 GS, 61 2/3 IP

Flaherty looked poised to claim the top spot on this list before he took the mound against Cleveland on Wednesday night and gave up four runs in four innings to inflate his ERA by 42 points. However, Walker Buehler’s even uglier outing on Thursday restored the 22-year-old Cardinals righty to the top spot. Given the poor recent performances by many of the top candidates, this is not the best time to check in on the NL Rookie of the Year Race, but with Buehler and Ronald Acuña both activated from the DL on Thursday and the Nationals’ Juan Soto burning his way up the list, there is hope that this will be a more compelling race when we revisit it at the end of July.

2. Brian Anderson, RF/3B, Marlins (3)

.293/.370/.441 (121 OPS+), .369 xwOBA, 4 HR, 33 BB, 66 K, 354 PA

Anderson has hit .305/.383/.457 thus far in June, giving him a much firmer footing in this race. He also leads NL rookies in playing time by a mile, with 354 plate appearances to replacement level runner-up, and teammate, Lewis Brinson’s 288. Anderson had his 24-game on-base streak snapped on Thursday,

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but if he stays hot, the 25-year-old former third-round pick could go from placeholder to serious contender in this race.

3. Walker Buehler, RHP, Dodgers (2)

3.44 ERA, 112 ERA+ (2.58 FIIP, 3.61 DRA), 4.50 K/BB, 25.6 K%, 1.05 WHIP, 5.7 IP/GS, 10 G, 9 GS, 52 1/3 IP

Rather than sending Buehler, who suffered a microfracture in one of his ribs earlier in the month, to Triple A for a rehab start, the Dodgers opted to activate him on Thursday and use him as a tandem starter to follow Clayton Kershaw, who is also effectively rehabbing with the big league team. It did not go well. Buehler gave up a home run on the second pitch he threw and wound up retiring just three of the nine men he faced, striking out none of them while allowing four extra-base hits and being charged with five runs (the two men he left in scoring position came around to score after he departed). That performance exploded the 23-year-old’s ERA, from 2.63 to 3.44 and dropped him from the top spot on this list — a position he had acquired while inactive thanks to incumbent Christian Villanueva’s .196/.258./268 performance on the month — to third.

4. Juan Soto, OF, Nationals

.324/.434/.574 (168 OPS+), .391 xwOBA, 6 HR, 21 BB, 24 K, 129 PA

The 19-year-old Soto made his major league debut on May 20, but he has hit so well in the 33 games since that I couldn’t keep him off the list, particularly once I learned that Nats fans have started calling him “Childish Bambino.” It’s not a total shock that Soto is hitting for average or power, but his 21 walks in 33 games at the age of 19 foretell monstrous production as he matures. That’s a 100-walk pace over a full season.

5. Richard Rodríguez, RHP, Pirates

2.12 ERA, 187 ERA+ (2.12 FIP, 2.30 DRA), 13.33 K/BB, 34.5 K%, 0.98 WHIP, 25 G, 29 2/3 IP

After sifting through nearly a dozen candidates for this final spot, I’ve settled on Rodríguez for his sheer dominance out of Pittsburgh’s ‘pen over a larger sample than the Phillies’ Seranthony Domínguez and with better peripherals than Arizona’s Yoshihisa Hirano. In sharp contrast to Keller, the last man on the AL rookie list, Rodríguez has outstanding peripherals that suggest that his run prevention just might be for real.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Astros in 2010, Rodríguez was purchased by the Orioles in June 2015. He impressed at Triple-A Norfolk last year, pitching his way into the closer’s role, but his brief major league call-up in early September went poorly, and the Pirates were able to pick him up over the winter as a minor league free agent.

Rodríguez didn’t make major league ‘pen out of camp this spring, but after striking out nine men over five scoreless innings in his first two Triple A outings, he got the call, and responded with eight strikeouts in 3 2/3 scoreless innings in his first two appearances for Pittsburgh. The 28-year-old Rodríguez works exclusively with a low-90s fastball and low-80s slider, the former of which he throws nearly three-

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quarters of the time. However, his fastball has above-average spin, rise, and arm-side run, and his slider drops so much that Brooks Baseball classifies it as a curve.

Off the list: Christian Villanueva, Caleb Smith

Stark: The Useless Info Dept., How Young Is Mike Trout Edition

By Jayson Stark

A relief pitcher plays first base… A catcher pitches – for the 10th time!… All the Reds’ pitchers do is hit home runs….And the Royals string together the most bizarre losing streak of modern times.

But more on that later – because first, the Useless Information Department has this to say about a guy named Mike Trout….

THE ALL-OLDER-THAN-TROUT TEAM

Mike Trout is 26 years old. This important announcement is brought to you by the Useless Information Department’s Time Marches On Division – because it has noticed that rest of us seem to act as if Trout has been around forever.

Trout has passed Harmon Killebrew, Mike Piazza and Vladimir Guerrero in career Wins Above Replacement this month – and he’s 26 years old. He has already had more top-two MVP finishes (four) than Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt or Ken Griffey Jr. – and he’s 26 years old.

So let’s put that in perspective. We now present a bunch of players who feel like they’re just starting out in this game – but every single one of them is older than the best player in the game. No kidding. So here it comes – the All-Older-Than-Mike-Trout team!

1B – Jesus Aguilar (27) 2B – Joey Wendle (28) SS – Marcus Semien (27) 3B – Christian Villanueva (27) OF – Mitch Haniger (27) OF – Scott Schebler (27) OF – Mac Williamson (27) C – Christian Vázquez (27) DH – Max Muncy (27) BENCH – José Martínez (27), José Pirela (28), Aaron Altherr (27), Michael A. Taylor (27) and Matt Duffy (27). SP – Ross Stripling (28) RP – Raisel Iglesias (28)

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And we could easily make a whole ’nother team just like it. But you get the idea, right? What we actually should be asking ourselves what Mike Trout wants to be when he grows up – because maybe this whole best-player-in-baseball thing is just his warm-up act.

STREAKERS OF THE WEEK

What we have here is the most innovative losing streak of the last century. Presenting your 2018 Kansas City Royals.

Starting with their game of June 3 and ending with their 5-4 win in Milwaukee on Wednesday, the Royals went a messy 3-18. But that’s not the big news here.

The big news is that you can break those 21 games into two fascinating categories:

— Record when they threw a shutout: 3-0. — Record when they gave up a run (or also lots of runs): 0-18.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Royals managed to lose 18 games in a row when they made the mistake of letting the other team cross home plate.

So how bizarre is that? Allow the Useless Info Department to fill you in.

— Last team to lose at least 18 straight games in which they gave up a run? That would be Runelvys Hernandez’s 2005 Royals, who lost 19 in a row like that. But wait! That wasn’t the same thing at all. That team lost 19 in a row, period.

— So in fact, the Elias Sports Bureau tells us, the Royals were just the third team ever to pull off a streak like this. (Or is it two streaks?) And to find the other two, you have to travel all the way back to the Roosevelt administration.

By which we mean the Teddy Roosevelt administration. That was back in 1907!

That year, Stoney McGlynn’s 101-loss Cardinals went through a stretch in June and July in which they lost seven in a row, threw a shutout, lost three in a row, threw a second shutout, won one before throwing a third shutout, then ripped off eight more losses in a row. So that’s a 19-game losing streak in games where they allowed a run (or 11).

But even that didn’t measure up to the exploits of Bill Bergen’s 1907 Brooklyn Superbas. The not-so-Superbas made it all the way from Opening Day (April 12) to May 18 before they finally won a game in which they gave up a run. They were 3-20 at that point (and 0-20 when they coughed up a run). But they did have a 1-1 tie along the way where they did, in fact, allow a run. So that’s a little shaky.

However, if you’ll recall the baseball history lesson we learned from the Indians’ 22-game winning streak last year, ties don’t count in either winning or losing streaks. So they get to be part of this list!

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And then, a mere 111 years later, along came these Royals. Their season definitely isn’t bound for glory. But at least it’s produced the weirdest, most historic 18-game “losing streak” of our lifetimes. And perhaps it’s taught us all a valuable lesson.

Kids, just be sure not to give up any runs and everything will turn out fine.

TRAVELING MAN OF THE WEEK

If Edwin Jackson hasn’t pitched for your favorite team over these last 15 years, just grab a bin of popcorn and wait a while. He should show up any minute now.

And if Edwin Jackson hasn’t pitched for your favorite team, well, clearly, they’re not even trying – because Edwin Jackson has pitched for every team.

Oh, all right. Not every team. He’s missed 17 of them, if you want to get technical. But now that he’s a proud member of the Oakland A’s (this week), he’s officially one of baseball’s most historic figures.

He has worn the uniform of 13 teams now – tied with the great Octavio Dotel for most in history. So let’s review this spectacular feat:

— By adding a bunch of A’s, Jackson has played with the incredible total of 763 teammates, believed to be the second-most in history (behind Terry Mulholland!). That’s 109 more for Jackson than Dotel by the way, in case you stopped counting in 2013.

And Jackson is one of just six men known to have played with more than 700 teammates. The other five we could find, with the help of MLB Network’s awesome research team, are these guys:

Terry Mulholland 791 (11 teams) Matt Stairs 725 (12 teams) Rickey Henderson 725 (9 teams, not counting the A’s four times) Carlos Beltrán 719 (7 teams) LaTroy Hawkins 703 (11 teams)

— Shocking footnote: Of those five, just one also played with Jackson (or Dotel). That was Henderson – who happens to be the only Hall of Famer on either of their teammate lists!

— Jackson once played with Fred McGriff – who retired so long ago, he only has one year left on the Hall of Fame ballot.

— Jackson played with Ron Coomer – who retired 15 years ago.

— Jackson once played with Robin Ventura, Alex Cora and Dave Roberts, who have all since managed in the big leagues.

— Jackson has started a game for 11 different teams. That ties him with – guess who? – Bartolo Colon for the most among active players. Only Mike Morgan (12) has started a game for more teams than either of them. But let’s just predict right here that record is not safe.

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— Jackson’s new home stadium is the O.Co. Coliseum. Believe it or not, he has only pitched there for two different teams. But he has pitched at Wrigley Field and Petco Park for six different teams. And he’s twirled at PNC Park, Citizens Bank Park, the new Busch Stadium and the Trop for five teams. He gets around, this dude.

— In Jackson’s first game with the A’s, he got to pitch against Victor Martinez – whom he has now faced with four different teams. Sadly, he missed the injured Miguel Cabrera – whom he has faced with six different teams. But coming up in a couple of weeks, unless Jackson is on team No. 14 by then, is his most epic matchup of all, when the A’s play the Giants. If he pitches to Andrew McCutchen in that series, Jackson will be battling him in his eighthdifferent uniform. Talk about crazy eights.

— So how does a guy get to play for 13 teams anyway? He books a lot of plane tickets! That’s how. In Jackson’s case, he has been traded six times – three times at the trading deadline and three times in the offseason. That includes deals that brought his old team Max Scherzer, Matt Joyce and Danys Báez – but also includes deals that brought his old team David Holmberg, Zach Stewart and P.J. Walters.

In other news, Jackson also has been released three times. In a related development, he has been a free agent nine times. And counting the minor leagues, he has played in 24 different towns. His baseball-reference page looks more like a list of flight departures at the airport than a baseball career. But that’s a good thing, actually – for minutiae-seeking columns like, say, this one.

— But you know what’s really amazing about all this? Edwin Jackson has played for 13 teams while never getting a Cy Young vote, while winning just one postseason game, while compiling an ERA of 5.00 or higher for seven different teams, while (as my pal Tim Kurkjian reminds us) never winning 20 games for any of his 13 employers.

But there he was this week at Comerica Park, starting a big-league baseball game for the A’s, his seventh team just since 2015, and even hitting 96.8 miles per hour on the Statcast meter.

Asked, by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, where that 96.8-mph heater came from, Edwin Jackson quipped: “I try to be young once a week.”

MYSTERY PITCHER OF THE WEEK

It isn’t true that Chris Gimenez has pitched more games these last two years than Clayton Kershaw. But he has pitched more times (seven) than, say, Hisashi Iwakuma (six), Nathan Eovaldi (six) or Shelby Miller (five).

In the major leagues. In real life.

And you know what? That’s kinda fun. And definitely kinda quirky.

But the heck with quirky – because now Chris Gimenez has made history. OK, so it’s only position-player-pitching history. But that’s actually one of my favorite kinds of history.

Last Saturday, Joe Maddon pointed him back toward the mound, to finish off the Cubs’ 11-2 loss in Cincinnati. Incredibly, it was the 10th outing – the 10th!!! – of Gimenez’s distinguished pitching career.

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(And by distinguished, I definitely mean we’re going to totally ignore his 9.90 ERA.) So now it’s time to put that in perspective. You’re welcome!

GETTING FOXXY – OK, how many position players in history, you ask, have ever pitched 10 times in the big leagues?

That’s actually a tougher question to research than you’d think, because once you get back to the 1950s and ‘60s, you discover there were a lot more Shohei Ohtani wanna-be’s than you might expect. (And yes, I’m talking about you, Willie Smith.)

So I disqualified any position player who ever pitched in at least 10 games in any season. And here’s what I found. (Cue the percussion section.)

Chris Gimenez is the first position player to visit the mound at least 10 times in his career (without appearing in 10+ games in any season) since …

Jimmie Foxx!

“Jimmie Foxx?” gulped Cubs analyst/humorist Jim Deshaies, when Useless Info passed along that little tidbit. “He doesn’t exactly fit your stereotypical emergency pitcher.”

Yeah, you think? When he wasn’t busy whomping 534 homers, Foxx also pitched 10 times between 1939 and 1945. And his 534 homers are the most of anyone in history who A) pitched and B) wasn’t named Babe Ruth.

THE POPEYE FACTOR – Gimenez threw 19 pitches in his outing Saturday. All 19 were categorized by Statcast as “fastballs.” As opposed to “not-so-fastballs,” since 14 of them were clocked at 64-69 miles per hour – until, sneakily, Gimenez got to a 1-2 count on fellow catcher Tucker Barnhart. Then – ta-daaaa! – he pulled an 85-mph smokeball out of his bag of tricks, for a (gasp) swinging strikeout.

“He didn’t just reach back for an extra one mile per hour or two,” Deshaies said, admiringly. “He said, ‘I need to get 20.’ It was like one of those Popeye cartoons, where Popeye is getting beat up by Bluto and then he finally gets the can of spinach open. It was almost like Gimenez didn’t have his spinach. Then he gave up a couple of rockets and said, ‘OK, it’s time for some spinach.’”

WATCH OUT, OHTANI! – So with Ohtani out of the pitching circuit for at least another couple of weeks, does this make Chris Gimenez the closest thing to Ohtani we’ve got in the game? Hey, why the heck not?

“They’re calling Ohtani ‘The Japanese Babe Ruth,’ right?” Deshaies said. “So now we can call Gimenez ‘The American Ohtani.’”

Well, that has a cool little ring to it, but it does leave one question: If Gimenez is the American Ohtani, then what, we asked, does that make Babe Ruth?

“What does that make Babe Ruth?” Deshaies pondered. “Dead.”

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USELESS INFO OF THE WEEK

WHO’S ON FIRST – So how long had it been since anyone had seen a box-score entry like the one attached to Rays reliever José Alvarado’s name Tuesday?

Alvarado P-1B-P

Almost 30 years. That’s how long.

According to baseball-reference.com’s awesome Play Index, it was only the third time in the 50-season division-play era that any pitcher had a game in which he both pitched and wore a first-base mitt in a nine-inning game. Here are the other two:

— June 6, 1989 – The Brewers shuttle Chuck Crim to first for one hitter, then bring him back for a save (and double-switch Terry Francona into the game to play first!)

— Sept. 2, 1970 – The Indians move Sam McDowell to first – in the sixthinning – so Dean Chance can get two outs. Whereupon McDowell returns and finishes the game.

— Amazingly, none of those three (Alvarado, Crim or McDowell) recorded a putout at first base while they were over there. Believe it or not, just one pitcher in the last 90 years has done that in this scenario: Billy Pierce, for the White Sox, on June 25, 1953 (on a 5-3 from Gil McDougall). Hard to believe!

WHO NEEDS THE DH – On Saturday in Cincinnati, sweet-swinging Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani whacked a grand slam – the first by a Reds pitcher in nearly six decades, since Bob Purkey went slamming on Aug. 1, 1959.

Then on Sunday in Cincinnati, yet another hot-hitting Reds hurler, Michael Lorenzen, stalked to the plate to pinch-hit – and did something that no Reds pinch-hitter had done all season. He hit a pinch homer, which made him A) the only active pitcher with two career pinch bombs and B) just the second pitcher in the DH era (along with Micah Owings) to hit two.

But that isn’t even the highlight of this note!

How many teams have ever had one pitcher hit a slam and a second hit a pinch-homer in back-to-back games? Right you are. That would be none, according to Elias. And no team had even done that in the same season since the 1995 Phillies (slam by Jeff Juden, pinch homer by Omar Olivares).

COUNTDOWN – Hits allowed by impressive Cardinals rookie Jack Flaherty in three consecutive starts this month:

3…2…1

(On June 11-17-23).

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That seemed like a trend … until he gave up six hits in four innings Wednesday. But he’s still just the third pitcher in this millennium to run off a 3-2-1 streak in successive starts of five innings or more. The other two to do that, according to Elias: Johan Santana (2004) and Josh Beckett (2009). Both of those guys eventually threw no-hitters by the way – just not in their next start!

EXTRA! EXTRA! – Until this season, a mere three active players (Christian Yelich, Paul Goldschmidt and Robinson Cano) had ever had a four-extra-base-hit game and a three-extra-base-hit game in back-to-back games.

So now all of a sudden, naturally, three hitters have done it just in the last 49 days (Willson Contreras, Goldschmidt and, most recently, Alex Bregman on Tuesday and Wednesday).

It’s the first time three players have done this in the same season since 1969 (Reggie Jackson, Tony Oliva and, of course, Ed Kirkpatrick). But even cooler, Goldschmidt is the first player to have two streaks like that in the entire live-ball era.

NAME DROPPERS – Here’s the latest from our hard-working Name Game Department:

— Last Friday, the White Sox had two Garcias (Avisail and Leury) come off the disabled list on the same day. Where the heck is Willy Garcia when you need him anyway?

— And Monday in Atlanta, Ozzie Albies thumped a walkoff homer to beat the Reds. But not just his first walkoff homer. As NBC Sports Chicago’s ever-observant Christopher Kamka reports, it was the first walkoff homer by anyOzzie since Ozzie Smith’s epic “Go crazy folks, go crazy” walkoff versus Tom Niedenfuer in Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS.

— And Sunday in Kansas City, we had the latest chapter in this ongoing series:

June 7 – Cole (Gerritt) beats Hamels (Cole). June 19 – Cole (Hamels) beats Hammel (Jason). Sunday – Cole (Gerrit) beats Hammel (Jason).

Paging A.J. Cole!

STRANGEST BUT TRUEST FEATS OF THE WEEK

HARD O’DAY’S NIGHT – We always did consider Orioles reliever Darren O’Day to be one of the most creative men in baseball. But he outdid himselfMonday – by walking just his fourth hitter of the season (Nelson Cruz) while sitting in the clubhouse!

So how’d that happen? It took some crazy stuff going down, all right. O’Day got called for a balk on a 3-2 pitch, then got ejected for the first time in his 11-year, 576-appearance career, then had long since headed up the tunnel by the time Zach Britton marched in and finished off the walk – which was charged to a man who wasn’t even on the field.

Baseball!

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MADBUM ABOUT YOU – Raise your hand if you saw this coming:

That 367 pitchers would win a game this year before Madison Bumgarner … that the Giants would go 48 games (and nearly two full months) without winning a game started by either Bumgarner or Johnny Cueto … and that they would still have a winning record halfway through their season.

DODGEBALL – OK, raise your hand if you saw this coming:

That the Dodgers would go 10 weeks without winning a game started by Clayton Kershaw … and would still go from four games under .500 to five games over .500 in the meantime.

ON WALDING POND – The good news for Phillies rookie Mitch Walding – after he’d started his career by going 0 for 7, with 7 strikeouts – was: He finally had an at-bat Sunday in which he put a ball in play.

The bad news: He hit into a double play. Making him 0 for 8, with more outs (9) than at-bats (8).

Here’s hoping he returns and gets a hit, because he’d be just the sixth position player in history to get to the plate that many times, emerge with zero hits and join the More Outs than AB Club!

WELCOME TO OHIO – Does anyone put the O back in Ohio like the Tigers?

Halfway through the season, they’re still 0 for Ohio. As in 0-7 in Cleveland and 0-3 in Cincinnati.

Just so they know this before those three games they have left in Cleveland in September: No NL Central or AL Central team, according to Elias, has ever gone winless in Ohio since interleague play made that a thing 21 years ago.

HAPPY HOLADAYS – Thanks to dulcet Marlins broadcaster Glenn Geffner for alerting us to this Strange But True series of events:

— April 5 – The Phillies steal four bases against Marlins catcher Bryan Holaday, who finally ends that track meet by throwing out César Hernández trying to pilfer third.

— Holaday then goes 2 ½ months without having anyone steal a base on him. (He nails 9 for 9, starting with that CS of Hernández.)

— Thursday in Miami – Holaday’s streak finally ends, on a steal by … um, Zack Greinke! Who steals second with two outs and Paul Goldschmidt hitting. And then scores on a Goldschmidt single.

— Oh, and one more thing: That makes Greinke 7-for-7 in his base-swiping career. And how many other pitchers since World War 2 have stolen that many bases in their career without being caught? Yup. None.

JERRY-MANDERING – Finally, what were the odds of this:

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After 12 peaceful seasons spent hanging out blissfully in bullpens across our land as the ultimate situational left-hander, the Mets decided to drag Jerry Blevins out of hiding last Sunday for the first “start” of his career.

And how’d that go? The first hitter homered (Enrique Hernández). The second hitter homered (Max Muncy). And Blevins had just joined Don Hendrickson (1945 Braves) as the only two pitchers since 1900 to serve up home runs to the first two hitters of their first major league start.

But guess how many times – in 532 relief appearances – Blevins had ever allowed home runs to the first two hitters he faced (or any two hitters he faced) in the same relief outing? Yessiree. That would be none. In a career in which he faced 1,846 hitters out of the pen.

Baseball!

Shohei Ohtani takes positive first step toward possible return in 2018

By Fabian Ardaya

BOSTON — The first tangible steps to two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani’s return to the Angels in 2018, at least at the plate, are in place.

Ohtani underwent an MRI scan on Thursday morning at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, with the images showing recovery in the Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Dr. Steve Yoon, who administered a platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell injection into the elbow three weeks ago, has cleared Ohtani to begin a formal hitting progression.

He will avoid Tommy John surgery, which would keep him off the field for months and off the mound for 12-16 months, at least for now. His return to the mound will be dependent on his next check-in, three weeks from today. If the ligament continues to show healing, there is a possibility team officials would allow him to resume throwing as well. Pitchers typically require a six-week window with regrowth after a stem-cell or PRP injection to be allowed to resume throwing, as was the case for the Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka in 2014 or the Angels’ Garrett Richards in 2016. Tanaka was able to return before the end of the season, with Richards returning to throw in Arizona Fall League games that same year.

The prized gem in this past season’s free-agent class, Ohtani became the first big leaguer in nearly a century to attempt to pursue working full-time as a hitter and pitcher in earnest. The Angels wooed Ohtani with the possibility to do both at the major-league level, and he produced, posting a 3.10 ERA on the mound while registering an OPS of .907 at the plate before being shut down with the injury.

“You want to get as much of your 25-man roster, you want to get as much of that back together as you can,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said of the news on a conference call. “If he’ll rejoin our club as a hitter, that’s news I was hoping to hear.”

Hitting, or the singular act of simply swinging a bat, will cause no added strain on Ohtani’s right elbow, according to Cincinnati Reds team physician and Tommy John expert Tim Kremchek when The

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Athletic spoke with him generally in regards to position player Tommy John surgeries and recoveries last month. Eppler said his conversations with multiple physicians produced the same belief.

“I asked that question a number of different ways,” Eppler said. “This is something that with how he swings the bat, his handedness, this will not put a load on his elbow swinging the bat. The doctor feels good about the health of his elbow to allow him to do that, so hopefully he can continue with his progression and we can have him on the active roster again.”

“We’re excited,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s obviously a great first step to see the healing process. It’s terrific that he’s able to go out there and swing now and hopefully get to where he needs to be to help us on the offensive side. We look for hopefully better things when he’s evaluated again to see when he could start throwing. No doubt, it’s an exciting first step.”

“Theoretically, Ohtani could return to the big leagues rather quickly. He took batting practice for the first time in nearly a month on Thursday, and Eppler said Ohtani could see live pitching as soon as this weekend. He did not rule out the possibility that the 23-year-old could return to the club before the end of this road trip, which concludes next week in Seattle.

Ohtani will not partake in any minor league rehab games, Eppler said, as the organization looks to keep its star in a controlled environment. Seeing velocity and establishing timing will be a requirement before returning to a big league game, Scioscia said, but Eppler suggested that would be more likely to occur in a simulated game environment.

“That’s just what we’ve made the determination to do,” Eppler said. “We can control a little bit more of the progression. When players play in rehabilitation games, they are bound by the rules of the game. It’s not like minor league spring training. You’re limited by the innings of that game, the amount of at-bats you can take. This allows for more structure, more control.”

Ohtani has been limited to one-armed swings and some shadow pitching outside of his typical workout and conditioning regimen. He has remained in Anaheim over the course of this road trip with club physical therapist Bernard Lee, who has maintained a close evaluation of each of his workouts. The club plans to look at video of Ohtani’s live batting practice sessions as it continues to monitor him to evaluate his readiness.

Ultimately, the decision of when to return could be Ohtani’s, possibly causing him to miss even less time than anticipated (some national speculation saw him missing anywhere from up until after the All-Star break to through the rest of the season). Even if his only return to the big club in 2018 is as a hitter, it will be much-needed for an Angels club looking to get back into the race.

“He’s going to do what he’s capable of doing,” Scioscia said. “Injuries, they have a mind of their own and they’ll let you know when you’re doing too much…He’ll let us know when he’s ready.”

Ohtani’s return to the designated hitter role full-time would give him his first crack at focusing exclusively on hitting big league pitching, as opposed to the three-to-four days per week he would hit on average while also pitching once a week. That would provide a massive boost of offensive production from the left side of the plate (Angels left-handed hitters, including Ohtani, have baseball’s second-worst wRC+ at 73), but also bring with it some lineup quandaries.

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The marriage with Ohtani in the lineup worked functionally when the two-way star only needed to DH a few nights a week, thus allowing Albert Pujols the chance to rest his legs on the nights Ohtani didn’t hit. If Ohtani serves as the DH full-time, that means more time at first base for Pujols, who has already played more games at first this year (42) than he did the last two years combined (34).

Pujols has remained relatively healthy this season outside of missing a few games due to some knee soreness last month, but has had a history of lower-body injuries in recent years that have sapped some of his abilities and relegated him to mostly DH duties. He’s put together a .690 OPS this season with 12 home runs, but has remained a stalwart in the Angels lineup. Pujols is owed around $90 million beyond even this year on his contract, which spans through 2021.

“It’s going to work,” Scioscia said of working Ohtani in with Pujols. “We’re going to get him into the lineup as much as we can.”

One could attempt to infer that more time focusing on one aspect of his game, such as hitting, could be of service to Ohtani. The Angels, obviously, still see the value of him doing both, with the ability to hit 100 mph on the radar gun and to slug home runs not one of baseball’s typical skill sets. The end result of removing essentially half of Ohtani’s game is better than no Ohtani at all, and will make for a unique experiment.

“I guess that remains to be seen,” Eppler said. “Time will tell, right?”

Mike Trout decided he was going to improve his defense. You’ll never believe what happened next

By Brent Maguire

Mike Trout is near perfect as a baseball player. He’s in the midst of a career season that has him on pace for 12+ wins above replacement. He’s currently the best hitter in baseball according to wRC+ (199). He’s also nearly walked (69) as many times as he’s struck out (70). He’s currently on pace for 40+ homers and 25+ stolen bases. In almost every sense, he has excelled.

Prior to the season, however, Trout felt like he had one particular area where he could improve: his defense in center field. In years past, Trout has identified and worked on his particular weaknesses, whether it was hitting the high fastball or improving his throwing arm, showing an uncanny ability to perfect his game and iron out issues.

When Trout said he wanted to improve his defense, nobody doubted that he could do it. And he’s done just that. By almost every measure, Trout is on pace to post his second best defensive season.

Historically, Trout’s defense has been all over the spectrum, ranging from really bad (2013-2014) to really good (2012). That really good defensive season happened right out of the gate in his rookie year, when he wowed fans with diving catches and home run robberies. The baseball world became accustomed to the notion that Trout, who was worth 21 defensive runs saved in 2012, was going to be a perennial Gold Glove contender. That was a fair observation given catches like this:

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After 2012, Trout was a mixed bag in center field, accumulating only five defensive runs saved from 2013-2017. His 2018 season has yielded stronger results, with Trout already racking up seven defensive runs through 80 games. After costing the Angels six defensive runs in center field last year and showing shaky defense in other seasons, it begs the question: What is Trout doing differently?

To take a closer look at this, we’ll resort to Baseball Savant, which provides an in-depth look at Statcast. Their main defensive metric, Outs Above Average (OAA), which was introduced in 2016, had Trout as a below-average defender from 2016 to 2017. Trout was worth negative five OAA over that span. This year, Trout is already at four OAA, which is the 18th best mark in baseball.

Baseball Savant also introduced different tiers of catches ranked by probability, ranging from five-star catches (most difficult) to one-star catches (least). Trout has shown improvements across each category in 2018.

5 Star 4 Star 3 Star 2 Star 1 Star

2016-2017 0/38 (0%) 3/17 (17.6%) 14/35 (40%) 53/56 (94.6%) 50/51(98%)

2018 1/9 (11.1%) 1/4 (25%) 7/7 (100%) 9/10 (90%) 8/8 (100%)

Immediately, you notice Trout made his first five-star catch after going 0-fer in that department from 2016-2017. Trout ran 104 feet and only had a 19 percent chance to make this grab:

Trout’s first five-star catch of the Statcast era is noteworthy in itself, but more important is the fact that he’s been perfect for all seven of his three-star catch opportunities. After completing a catch on less than half of those three-star catches from 2016-2017, this is a stark improvement. Though he struggled with them in previous years, three-star catches, which Statcast categorizes as ones that fielders have a 51-75 percent chance of catching, have become Trout’s best friend.

Statistically, Trout is making tougher catches and getting to more baseballs. He’s been rather impressive getting to baseballs in front of him and he’s made his share of fine catches at the wall as well. The visual below highlights the amount of baseballs he’s reached, while also showing how few balls he hasn’t gotten to.

This leads us to the question of why he’s getting to more baseballs. Finding the answer isn’t particularly easy since there are many different aspects that lead to a center fielder’s success.

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Sometimes, outfielders simply make an adjustment to their positioning and they see better results, as Dexter Fowler showed a few years ago. That’s not the case with Trout, who hasn’t messed around with his defensive positioning.

Trout plays fairly deep for a center fielder but that doesn’t explain his defensive improvements. And Trout’s sprint speed is still elite, coming in at 29.2 feet per second but it isn’t noticeably different from the 29.3 feet per second he showed last year. Trout is and has always been fast, which doesn’t help explain why he was bad last year and good this year.

The answer to this question may be more simple than it appears. Trout told the Orange County Register that he wanted to be more aggressive on getting to baseballs this season. Combine a desire to improve first-step quickness with a more aggressive approach and Trout may have found a recipe for success.

Unfortunately, quantifying first-step quickness and aggressiveness is tough, so trusting the numbers and the video evidence is sufficient for now. To further illustrate Trout’s improved defense, here are some of the more difficult catches he’s made this season.

Here’s Trout’s sole four-star catch — an impressive sprawling grab to his left.

Trout, who has always been comfortable making catches at the wall, has made several great grabs near the warning track this season, including this one. Next up is one of Trout’s three-star catches, one that robbed reigning American League MVP José Altuve of extra bases. Mike Trout talked about improving his outfield defense. Mike Trout did, in fact, improve his outfield defense and his all-around value has never been higher than it is in 2018. Stay tuned for what Mike Trout can improve next — if there is anything left to improve.

Minor League Matters: Six corner infielders who are finding ways to stand out this season

By Emily Waldon and Jared Wyllys

<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">In the latest installment of our position player spotlight series, we take a closer look at a collection of corner infielders, highlighting three first basemen and three third basemen. Some are knocking on the door of the majors, and some are still finding their way through Class A, but

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each player below is finding ways to stand out this season. We’ll walk you through just a few of the reasons why. (Reports by Emily Waldon) 3B Ronny Rodriguez Current Assignment: Triple-A Toledo (Tigers) Ht/Wt: 6-0/170 lbs. B/T: R/R DOB: April 17, 1992 Season Stats: 235 AB, .315/.340/.528, 74 H, 36 R, 15 2B, 9 HR, 37 RBI Ronny Rodriguez may be labeled as a third baseman, but the 26-year-old’s resume extends far beyond a signal defensive assignment. Prior to signing with the Tigers as a Triple-A free agent in December of 2017, Rodriguez collected time at six different positions defensively, drawing talk of becoming the Tigers’ next great utility piece. Entering Spring Training in Lakeland, Rodriguez stood as one of the strongest candidates to make the major league Opening Day roster among the bunch, but the Tigers opted to stretch the utility guru out in the International League before placing him back in line for a promotion to Detroit. Cleveland’s decision not to re-sign Rodriguez came as a surprise to some due to his success at the plate. After signing with the Indians as an International free agent in 2010, the right-hander mixed raw athleticism and power to combine for 30 home runs over his first two seasons of stateside baseball between Class A Lake County and High-A Carolina. Working one of the more unique stances at the plate with his bat stationed high in the air, Rodriguez still manages to get his hands locked in to generate healthy power from a one-piece swing. Rodriguez made it clear that he had no intention of staying put in Triple-A, and sure enough, his offensive hot streak earned him a promotion to Detroit in May. He struggled after his big league debut, though, and has since been sent back down to the minors. Contact hasn’t posed an issue for him now that he’s back with the Mud Hens, as he’s hit safely in in 13 of his last 15 games for Toledo, holding his strikeout percentage to 17.7 percent with an impressive .382 wOBA. The biggest challenge for Rodriguez will be his ability to maintain at the major league level. The Dominican native has little, if anything left to prove to the International League, but to stick in Detroit, that versatile profile will need to adapt to the next challenge ahead. 3B Randy Cesar Current Assignment: Double-A Corpus Christi (Astros) Ht/Wt: 6-1/180 lbs. B/T: R/R DOB: January 11, 1995 Season Stats: 254 AB, .354/.390/.547, 90 H, 43 R, 18 2B, 9 HR, 42 RBI If you’re looking for a way to describe the year for Randy Cesar, one American League scout probably put it best. “My gosh, that kid can hit.”

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Cesar, 23 has done that and then some with an outstanding .413 wOBA and 151 wRC+ in his first go-round with Double-A Corpus Christi. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native didn’t begin his stateside career until 2014, after signing with the Astros as an International free agent for $100,000 in 2012 and spending his first two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. Barrel control is one of the finer points of the well-proportioned infielder. There is some swing-and-miss with a 21.9 strikeout percentage, credited to an overly-aggressive plate presence at times, but an eye-popping .435 BABIP is making it hard to find many flaws in the 23-year-old through the first half of the season. Navigating through a monster offensive season, Cesar set a new Texas League record just last week after hitting in his 38th — yes, 38th — consecutive game this season, breaking the 37-game mark set by Bobby Trevino in 1969. Cesar hasn’t slowed down, reaching 41 consecutive games for the Hooks this week. The 23-year-old doesn’t boast a future impact profile at the Major League level, but label be darned, he’s working to keep his name on the table and is doing a pretty sensational job of that in 2018.</span>

3B Elehuris Montero Current Assignment: Class A Peoria (Cardinals) Ht/Wt: 6-3/195 lbs. B/T: R/R DOB: August 17, 1998 Season Stats: 255 AB, .302/.356/.482, 77 H, 42 R, 16 2B, 8 HR, 43 RBI

After shelling out a cool $300,000 to Elehuris Montero during the 2014 signing period, the now 19-year-old is working to solidify the Cardinals’ belief in the offensive upside he displayed early on. Outside of his offense-first profile, Montero has what the Cardinals believe to be enough defensive prowess to stick as a long-term fixture at third base. His arm draws a plus grade defensively and the youngster has time on his side to polish off any rough edges. Although Montero isn’t known for speed, his 6-3, 195-pound teenage body continues to grow into itself. Sitting fifth-overall in the Midwest League for hits this season, Montero makes consistent contact and has started to discover his ability to tap into a reserve of natural raw power. In his first year of full-season ball, Montero has seen a spike in his strikeout percentage — 22.3 percent over 68 games this season — though that’s likely just due to his adjustment to Midwest League pitching. With his ISO at .180, Montero is nearing a career-high and after hitting safely in 12 of his last 15 games with the Class A Chiefs, he’s proving that his knack for putting bat-to-ball hasn’t gone anywhere. With the Cardinals banking on more production at the plate, at 19-years-old, Montero has reached a solid pace and as he continues to develop physically, that production should only improve. (Reports by Jared Wyllys)

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1B Zach Green Current Assignment: Double-A Reading (Phillies) Ht/Wt: 6-3/210 lbs. B/T: R/R DOB: March 7, 1994 Season Stats: 232 AB, .276/.359/.556, 64 H, 18 2B, 15 HR, 46 RBI

Green has been in the Phillies’ system for several years, but right now he is in the midst of arguably his best season. He has five home runs in the last week, four of those coming in consecutive games. In the last ten days, Green is hitting .294, so he has been putting on more than just a display of power.

The 2012 3rd-rounder is not a heralded prospect at this point, though some of that might be due to an injury-plagued professional career thus far. Green has spent time on the disabled list in each of the last three seasons, limiting his at-bats significantly. But 2018 has been different; he has remained healthy and might be beginning to realize the potential that led Philadelphia to select him out of Jesuit High School in Sacramento six years ago.

Early in his career, Green’s potential for above average power excited the Phillies the most. He showed some of that in short-season ball in 2013, hitting 13 home runs in 74 games, and then again in 2016, when he hit a dozen in 96 games amid back and leg problems that kept him out of the lineup for chunks of the season. Now fully healthy, Green has 15 homers in 65 games so far this season.

Green played some shortstop in high school and was drafted as a third baseman, but this season he has shifted to first base. He has the arm to play the left side of the infield, but his size and injury history might make first the best spot for him.

The question for Green will be whether he can be more than just a power hitter. There’s a lot of movement in his swing, which has led in the past to strikeout rates that flirt with 40 percent. This year, he’s down to roughly 27 percent, and he’s drawing walks at a rate similar to what he did in 2013. If Green can continue with these kinds of improvements and do more than just dazzle with the longball, he could become a more integral part of the Phillies going forward.

1B Matt Thaiss

Current assignment: Triple-A Salt Lake (Angels) Ht/Wt: 6-0/195 lbs. B/T: L/R DOB: May 6, 1995 Season Stats: 283 AB, .293/.348/.509, 83 H, 19 2B, 12 HR, 44 RBI

Thaiss has some of the raw tools that foster excitement — he can hit, he can hit for power, he can field, he can throw. In his third year in the Angels’ system, he has not yet developed some of these tools, but Thaiss’s progress is still noteworthy.

In particular, his plus raw power hasn’t been present, at least until this year. In 2016 and 2017, he combined for 15 home runs in 200 games, but through 68 games this season, Thaiss already has 12. Thaiss had six dingers in the first 6 weeks of the season, helping to earn him a promotion to Triple-A on May 22, where he has hit six more. He was not much of a home run hitter in college either, so this surge in power is new. It’s partly the product of the typical physical growth of a player in his early 20s, but is also due to thetweaking his swing path, which he worked on with coaches in the Angels organization.

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Drafted out of Virginia in the first round in 2016, Thaiss was near the top of the Angels’ prospects lists within a year, but the biggest obstacle in his path might be the fact that at the major league level, Albert Pujols is still playing first base and will be for a few more seasons, while Shohei Ohtani will grab a lot of the starts at DH if the Angels decide his elbow his healthy enough for him to keep hitting this season.

But Thaiss has forced his way up through the Angels system in very short time, and if he can keep hitting for power, like he has this year, that’s likely to continue.

1B Evan White

Current assignment: High-A Modesto (Mariners) Ht/Wt: 6-3/205 B/T: R/L DOB: April 26, 1996 Season Stats: 263 AB, .285/.348/.407, 75 H, 14 2B, 4 HR, 27 RBI

White is barely even a year removed from being drafted in the first round out the University of Kentucky, and he is already proving he can adjust quickly. His assignment to the California League at the start of the season after only 14 games in the short-season Northwest League last year was aggressive, but he acclimated in short time. In the first week of this season, White was hitting only .156, but he hit .366 in week two.

His ability to adapt was tested even further just a couple of weeks ago, when Dan Vogelbach’s call-up to Seattle and an injury to Cameron Perkins mean that White was called all the way up to Triple-A Tacoma. This was a temporary arrangement from the outset that lasted only 4 games, but White held his own. White went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles in his first game.

Back in Modesto, White is probably not likely to stick around long. He can hit, make no mistake about that, and he adds sterling defense to go with it. White has the athleticism and arm of an outfielder, but he handles first base like a seasoned veteran. In nearly 600 professional innings, he has made only two errors.

But White’s real test might not have come yet. The reality is that in such a small amount of experience, he still needs time. White faced off against legit competition in the SEC in college and so far he has handled minor league pitching just fine, but White may need to show that he can keep adapting in order for his pace through the Mariners’ system to stay the same.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bradley, Devers homer for Red Sox in 4-2 win over Angels

BOSTON -- After slugging their way to wins in the first five games against the Los Angels Angels, the Boston Red Sox needed some strong defense to complete the season sweep.

Jackie Bradley Jr. made a leaping catch at the wall in center to keep the Angels from scoring in the first inning and broke open the game with a two-run homer in the seventh as the Red Sox beat the Angels 4-2 on Thursday night.

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"It feels good when you get the results," Bradley said. "Both were very pivotal for the game."

Bradley's shot to right was the 20th homer the Red Sox hit in six games against Los Angeles, sweeping the season series against the Angels for the first time since they joined the American League as an expansion club in 1961.

Boston outscored Los Angeles 49-12 while taking all six games, which according to the Red Sox is the first six-game season sweep in club history.

The Red Sox have won four straight and six of seven as they head to New York to open three-game series between the rivals on Friday night with first place in the AL East on the line.

Hector Velazquez (6-0) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Craig Kimbrel earned his 24th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

With scheduled starter Steven Wright on the DL, the Red Sox had to shuffle their rotation. Manager Alex Cora said he was pleased to get four innings out of starter Brian Johnson and two more from Velazquez, setting up the bullpen to finish off the Angels.

"We got to where we wanted to get," Cora said. "B.J. (Johnson) was outstanding using his fastball, mixing up his breaking ball -- very pleased with the way we got six innings out of those guys."

The Angels have lost six straight, although they were in contention in the last two games at Fenway Park.

"There's no doubt we hit the ball harder than looking at six hits," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We probably squared up five other balls that they made nice plays on. That's the way it goes sometimes."

Andrelton Simmons hit a solo homer and Albert Pujols had an RBI single for the Angels, who had a potential rally going in the eighth with runners on first and second with one out but were robbed of another hit when Andrew Benintendi made a leaping catch at the wall that rivaled what Bradley did in the first.

"That was amazing," Bradley said. "We were able to make some big plays for our pitchers and get the win."

Los Angeles was up 1-0 until Devers led off the fifth with his 13th homer, to center off of Jaime Barria (5-4).

Barria was pulled after giving up a one-out walk to J.D. Martinez with one out in the sixth and the score still tied 1-1. Jose Alvarez gave up a double to Mitch Moreland, with Martinez moving to third. Xander Bogaerts was then walked intentionally to load the bases, and Brock Holt drew a walk to drive in Martinez for Boston's first lead. Alvarez then got Devers to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Barria was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks, striking out two over 5 1/3 innings.

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"Jaime was good. He had to work hard to get to that point of the game," Scioscia said. "There was one fastball he just left down the heart of the plate and it was down to Devers and he hit it out to center. But I thought he gave us a chance to win, there's no doubt about that."

Bradley's homer, his sixth, in the seventh off of Noe Ramirez pushed Boston's lead to 4-1.

BRONX BOUND

The Red Sox were busy packing their bags in the locker room after the game and were headed to New York, where the three-game series was scheduled to open Friday. The Red Sox (55-27) hold a slight lead on the Yankees (52-26), who were off Thursday.

While the series is big, Bradley said the division title is not on the line -- yet.

"I think if you win, that takes care of everything. You don't have to think about anything else," Bradley said. "You get that done, I don't think you've got to worry about any other teams."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: Placed rookie reliever Jake Jewell on the DL with a broken right leg that could cause him to miss the rest of the season. He's scheduled to have surgery Friday. Jewell was carted off the field at Fenway Park on Wednesday night. ... The Angels recalled RHP Eduardo Paredes from Triple-A Salt Lake and added RHP Taylor Cole to the major league roster.

UP NEXT

Angels: RHP Felix Pena (0-0, 5.40 ERA) gets his third start of the season and first on the road when the Angels open up a weekend series in Baltimore on Friday.

Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (9-2, 3.86) was on a six-start winning streak before taking the loss Saturday against Seattle. Rodriguez is scheduled to go up against Yankees LHP C.C. Sabathia (4-3, 3.18) in the series opener Friday night.

Angels reliever Jewell has broken leg, could miss season

BOSTON (AP) — Los Angeles Angels rookie reliever Jake Jewell has a broken right leg and could miss the rest of the season.

The Angels put Jewell on the 10-day disabled list Thursday, a day after he was injured in a game against Boston. He’s scheduled to have surgery Friday.

Jewell was carted off the field at Fenway Park on Wednesday night. Called up from Triple-A earlier in the day, he appeared to catch his cleat as he covered the plate on a run-scoring wild pitch and fractured his fibula. The 25-year-old was hurt in his third big league game.

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The Angels recalled right-handed pitcher Eduardo Paredes from Triple-A Salt Lake and added right-hander Taylor Cole to the major league roster.

The club also optioned infielder Nolan Fontana to Salt Lake and transferred infielder Zack Cozart to the 60-day DL. Cozart is scheduled to have season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder on Friday.

Ohtani cleared to begin hitting after elbow shows healing

By Beth Harris

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s elbow injury has healed enough that the Los Angeles Angels’ two-way star can begin a hitting program immediately.

General manager Billy Eppler said Thursday that Ohtani underwent an MRI in Los Angeles that showed improvement to his ulnar collateral ligament, clearing him to take batting practice in private.

“That’s news I was hoping to hear,” Eppler said on a conference call.

Ohtani was placed on the disabled list with a UCL sprain June 8. He will be re-evaluated by doctors in three weeks.

Asked whether Ohtani needs Tommy John surgery that could cause him to miss the rest of this season as well as all of the 2019 season, Eppler said, “No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time.”

Ohtani has a Grade 2 sprain, or partial tear, of the UCL in his right elbow. In hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery, the Angels had Ohtani’s ligament injected with platelet-rich plasma and stem cells earlier this month. Eppler said he has not had additional injections.

Eppler said Ohtani will not play in rehab games but will take batting practice in a “private and controlled environment” and could face live pitching as soon as this weekend. Because Ohtani is not a position player, rehab games were deemed unnecessary.

“We can control a little bit more the progression,” Eppler said. “This allows for more freedom, structure and control.”

Ohtani has not been cleared to pitch yet.

His last appearance came June 6 in a start against Kansas City. Ohtani left after four innings with a blister and also mentioned he was feeling tightness in his elbow. An MRI taken the next day revealed the UCL in his right elbow had progressed from a Grade 1 strain to a more serious Grade 2 level.

Ohtani won four of his first five decisions before getting injured. He was batting .289 with six home runs and 20 RBIs.

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“I know that not being able to play baseball competitively and only being able to train doesn’t really satisfy his appetite and his hunger to play,” Eppler said. “He’s now one step closer. I can only assume he’s excited about it.”

FROM MLB.COM

Injury updates: Ohtani, Carrasco, Correa, Cruz*

By MLB.COM

Here's a roundup of the latest injury news across the Majors.

Shohei Ohtani, Zack Cozart, John Lamb, Garrett Richards, Mike Trout and Nick Tropeano, Angels Angels fans received good news Thursday when general manager Billy Eppler announced via conference call that Ohtani can begin hitting once again.

Ohtani underwent another MRI exam on Thursday that displayed healing in the Grade 2 strain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Ohtani will now resume batting practice right away, per Eppler, and could face live pitching this weekend barring any setbacks.

The Halos will re-evaluate Ohtani in three weeks to help them decide the bigger question: Whether he will pitch again in 2018. The two-way sensation went on the disabled list June 8 and received stem-cell and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in an effort to heal his strained UCL. The possibility remains that Ohtani will eventually need to undergo Tommy John surgery, which would keep him out for extended time -- particularly if the Angels intend to have him pitch again on the mound.

Ohtani's ability to bat left-handed has led doctors to assure Eppler that plate appearances will not put further strain on his right pitching elbow. Ohtani has already been taking one-armed swings and standing in on bullpen sessions to see live pitching and try to remain fresh. Eppler said Ohtani will bypass Minor League rehab stints so the Angels can keep him closer to home.

Ohtani displayed elite ability at the plate and on the mound in his first appearances on American soil. The Japanese import is hitting .289 with a .907 OPS and six home runs in 34 games, while also posting a 3.10 ERA and striking out 61 batters over 49 1/3 innings.

On Wednesday, the Angels announced Cozart will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Angels did not release a timetable for Cozart's return, but the rehab for this type of procedure on a non-throwing arm is typically six to eight months, meaning he's likely to miss the rest of the season.

The Angels also placed Lamb on the 10-day disabled list with inflammation in his left shoulder and elbow on Wednesday. Manager Mike Scioscia said Lamb complained of stiffness following his start against the Red Sox on Tuesday, when he yielded five runs (three earned) over 1 2/3 innings in a 9-1 loss.

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Richards (strained left hamstring) threw another bullpen session on Wednesday, though the Angels are still evaluating what his next step will be. Richards said previously that he believes he'll need at least one rehab appearance before he's ready to rejoin the rotation.

Trout tested his strained right index finger in a long-toss session on Wednesday, though he still started his eighth consecutive game at designated hitter. Trout said on Tuesday that his return to center field is day to day.

Tropeano (inflammation in right shoulder) has begun a throwing progression, but Scioscia cautioned that "there's a process he has to go through" before he's ready to return.

*Article cut to only include Angels-related material.

FROM ESPN.COM

Angels reliever Jake Jewell has broken right fibula; season over

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jake Jewell broke his right fibula in Wednesday night's game with the Red Sox in Boston and will need season-ending surgery.

Jewell was trying to make a play at the plate in the eighth inning. With runners on second and third and Mitch Moreland at the plate, Jewell uncorked a wild pitch.

He raced to the plate to cover and appeared to slip before getting there, with his right ankle getting caught beneath him.

The right-hander remained down on the ground for several minutes before a stretcher was wheeled out to home plate. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for evaluation.

Thank you everyone I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers #keeponkeepinon

Jewell will undergo season-ending surgery Friday, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

He was making only his third major league appearance Wednesday night.

Jewell, 25, had been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake before Wednesday's game. He had been 3-4 with five saves and a 3.08 ERA in a combined 26 relief appearances this season between Double-A Mobile and Salt Lake.

June 29, 2018 Page 47 of 60

Angels clear Shohei Ohtani to resume hitting

Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani has been cleared to hit and will resume batting practice immediately, general manager Billy Eppler said Thursday.

Eppler said Ohtani had an MRI Thursday that noted improvement in his ulnar collateral ligament and said he expected to continue to see progress.

The GM declined to address whether Ohtani would pitch again this season, saying the 23-year-old will see doctors again in three weeks and the Angels will give a further update at that point.

When pressed, Eppler said, "No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time.''

Ohtani has a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow, which is a partial tear. In hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery, the Angels opted to have Ohtani's ligament injected with platelet-rich plasma and stem cells, part of a low-risk, conservative treatment.

Eppler said Ohtani will not play in rehab games but will take batting practice in a "controlled environment" and could face live pitching as soon as this weekend, Eppler said.

Because Ohtani is not a position player, rehab games were deemed unnecessary.

Ohtani last played June 6, starting against the Kansas City Royals. He left that game after four innings with a blister. While being treated for the blister, he mentioned he was feeling some tightness in his elbow. He had an MRI the next day, which revealed that the UCL in his right pitching elbow had progressed from a Grade 1 strain to a more serious Grade 2 level.

The right-hander won four of his first five decisions before his DL stint while striking out 61 batters in 49 1/3 innings. He was batting .289 with six home runs and 20 RBIs.

FROM NBC SPORTS

Shohei Ohtani cleared to begin hitting

By Bill Baer

Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports that angels P/DH Shohei Ohtani has been cleared to begin hitting immediately and will be reevaluated in three weeks. GM Billy Eppler said that, since Ohtani is a DH, he will not need to rehab in minor league games. Instead, Ohtani will play in “private” settings including simulated games.

Ohtani, 23, has been on the disabled list since June 8 with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He was certainly living up to the hype, batting .289/.372/.535 with six home runs and 20 RBI while compiling a 3.10 ERA and a 61/20 K/BB ratio in 49 1/3 innings on the mound.

June 29, 2018 Page 48 of 60

Ohtani won’t be allowed to resume throwing. It remains to be seen if he will pitch again this season.

FROM CBS SPORTS

Angels, Orioles carry lengthy losing streaks into series

BALTIMORE -- The Los Angeles Angels are hoping to cure their recent slide with a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles beginning Friday at Camden Yards.

By STATS

BALTIMORE -- The Los Angeles Angels are hoping to cure their recent slide with a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles beginning Friday at Camden Yards.

Even though the Angels have lost six consecutive games, they still have time to get back in the wild-card race. However, they will need to gain some much-needed momentum in Baltimore.

"At some point, obviously we need to put both ends together and get the pitching we need, get some early runs and get the game on our terms and we're going to start to do things the way we can," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

Meanwhile, the Orioles are mired in last place and own the worst record in Major League Baseball. Baltimore has lost five straight, including its first-ever four-game sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners.

"I don't like losing any games. It eats at you," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. "But you should be doing those things all the time, because things are always evolving, especially in our situation compared to some of the people we compete against in this division."

The Orioles, looking at a possible rebuild, are open to trading several key players, including shortstop Manny Machado and closer Zach Britton, as they look toward the future. On Thursday, the team recalled rookie Chance Sisco, who is viewed as a long-term fixture as the starting catcher and will split time with Caleb Joseph.

"Chance went down (to Triple-A Norfolk) and did what we asked him to do and we got him back and we'll play him and Caleb," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. "It won't necessarily be a strict platoon, but could be, depending on how it falls.

"We know we're getting right, left, right against Anaheim. We know they only have two left-handed hitters. It's more about today now, but we're going to make use of all their skills and keep them all in the mix.

"And also, part of Chance's development is two steps forward, one step back. We'll keep trying to do what's best for his long-term development and success."

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The Orioles have also struggled with injuries. Both right-handed reliever Darren O'Day (hamstring) and outfielder Craig Gentry (rib fracture) were placed on the 10-day disabled list earlier this week. The team's most consistent starter, Dylan Budy (ankle), is also on the DL.

Baltimore looks to get off to a solid start against the Angels with rookie David Hess (2-4, 5.44 ERA) starting the opener. He has shown some upside but has lost his last three decisions.

In his last outing, Hess allowed five runs and seven hits in just four innings of a 7-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.

"The results speak for themselves," Hess said. "They're definitely different, but I think just executing pitches, I think I haven't done it as well the past few starts. I think just getting back to what was successful those first few outings. I think we'll get back to work and make a good move for the next outing."

Felix Pena (0-0, 5.40) will make his third start of the season for the Angels, filling in for injured Garrett Richards (hamstring). In his last outing, Pena allowed three runs and eight hits with strikeouts and one walk in five innings of a 7-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. He is facing Baltimore for the first time in his young career.

Los Angeles will be without reliever Jake Jewell, who suffered an ankle injury while covering home plate after a wild pitch against the Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Shohei Ohtani injury update: Angels GM says no 'surgical intervention at this time' for two-way star

Consider this good news for the Angels and their star rookie

By Dayn Perry

Angels RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani hasn't pitched since June 4 because of a torn UCL in this throwing elbow. Obviously, that's an injury that typically ends with Tommy John surgery, but the Angels and Ohtani opted for stem cell and PRP injections in hopes of avoiding such a major procedure. On that front, there's good news:

Shohei Ohtani underwent an MRI this morning, which showed improvement. He will begin a hitting progression immediately. He will be evaluated in three weeks.

Billy Eppler: "No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time.'' #Angels

It's of course still possible that Ohtani winds up requiring reconstructive surgery, which would sideline him for upwards of a calendar year, but he's cleared an important early hurdle. While Ohtani has no clear time-table for throwing the ball again, he'll begin facing live pitching as a hitter next week, according to GM Billy Eppler.

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This season Ohtani, who turns 25 on July 5, has pitched to a 3.10 ERA in nine starts with a 3.05 K/BB ratio. As DH between starts, he's put up a batting line of .289/.373/.535 (150 OPS+) with six home runs in 34 games. Obviously, the Angels will miss his work on the mound, but the idea of getting back an impact hitter such as Ohtani is huge for the L.A. offense.

So far, so good from the standpoint of the Angels and their prized rookie.

FROM USA TODAY

Mike Trout: Halfway to one of the greatest seasons in baseball history

By Gabe Lacques

When the greatest player of his time reaches the halfway point of his greatest season to date, it would be delinquent not to pause and ponder where he stands and where he may be headed.

And in what will come as a surprise to few, Mike Trout is, indeed, on track for one of the greatest seasons in Major League Baseball history.

The Los Angeles Angels outfielder has reached the 81-game mark with a sublime résumé, even as he doesn't lead the American League in any of the traditional Triple Crown categories - and likely won't at the end of the season.

Yet, true to his career arc, his overall body of work puts him far beyond any of his current major league peers - and, should he sustain it, produce a season duplicated only by the game's legends.

A look at his individual numbers now, why they matter - and how it could all stack up in September:

.458 on-base percentage

Yes, the game's most disciplined and dangerous hitter is lapping the field - and himself - in the most important offensive skill. He has a 30-point lead on No. 2 Mookie Betts in the AL (Joey Votto leads the NL at .434), and is 16 points above his career-best .442 mark set last season. Trout will run away with his fourth consecutive AL OBP crown.

23 home runs

It will be a challenge to catch Boston's J.D. Martinez, who zipped past Trout this week and has 25 home runs and four games in hand. Yet a 46-homer season would exceed Trout's personal best by five. Paired with his .323 batting average (the major league average is .245) and a 19% strikeout rate that puts him a point below the average, Trout even more like a unicorn in an era when lots of home runs often comes with tons of strikeouts - and an abysmal batting average.

1.103 on-base plus slugging

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While just a hair behind major league leader Betts (1.111), this figure would represent another career high for Trout and another testament to his complete offensive package.

205 OPS-plus

Stay with us as we delve into the world of league-adjusted stats, won't you? OPS-plus adjusts a player's OPS to normalize for factors such as ballparks, with 100 considered league-average. Yeah, Trout's a smidge above league average - his 205 mark bests last year's 187 career high and would rank 35th in the modern era.

199 Weighted Runs Created Plus

Forget the explanation for a moment and consider this: Babe Ruth's career wRC+ is 197. So, Mike Trout's greatest (half) year ever is roughly equal to Ruth's typical season.

That said, Trout's 199 mark is still a huge leap over his career-best 181 in 2017. To the uninitiated, wRC+ measures how many runs a player is worth to his team in a year, and then adjusting for park and league context.

Trout's career average of 177, by the way, ranks sixth all-time - trailing Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby and Barry Bonds.

Overall

Naturally, there's no singular or perfect measure for The Greatest Season Ever. And in comparing Greatest Seasons, surely you can include categories in an arbitrary fashion to make a case for Your Guy.

With that in mind, Trout's projected body of work in OBP, home runs, OPS and OPS-plus will indeed put him in rarefied air. According to Baseball-Reference's Play Index (subscription required and recommended), just six players have reached Trout's projected plateaus: Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx and Mark McGwire.

In fact, if Trout lands on exactly 46 home runs, his season would eerily resemble Bonds' 1993 NL MVP campaign in his first season with the San Francisco Giants: Right now, they share a .458 OBP with Bonds' 1.136 OPS just hundredths ahead of Trout.

Greatest ever? Maybe not. Among the greats? Undoubtedly.

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FROM BLEACHER REPORT

MLB Report Card Grades for All 30 Teams Entering July*

By Zachary D. Rymer

If you blinked, you might have missed the first half of the 2018 Major League Baseball season.

July is just about here, and teams across the league are roughly halfway through their 162-game schedules. That makes now as good a time as any to re-evaluate all 30 teams with fresh report cards based on their strengths, weaknesses and generally how they're faring as the stretch run nears.

We'll go in alphabetical order by city.

Los Angeles Angels

Record: 41-40, 4th in AL West

Mike Trout is doing just fine, thank you very much.

Although the 26-year-old superstar has been slowed by a sprained finger, he's still rocking a 1.103 OPS with 23 home runs and an MLB-high 6.6 wins above replacement. Just another year at the office for arguably the best player in MLB history.

The rest of the Los Angeles Angels? Not so much.

They're 18-26 since May 11. Their problems include an offense that's managed a .694 OPS even with Trout's heroics, as well as a pitching staff that's hit a wall with a 5.39 ERA over the last 16 games.

The loss of two-way star Shohei Ohtani to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament has been a blow to both units, and he's only close to returning as a hitter. As a result, the Angels' 2018 season is following a familiar storyline: Trout just doesn't have enough help.

Grade: C+

*Article cut to only include Angels-related material.

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FROM FANSIDED

Kansas City Royals: Mike Moustakas makes sense for Los Angeles Angels

By David Hill

The Los Angeles Angels are in need of a third baseman as they seek to return to the playoffs. The Kansas City Royals could have the answer in Mike Moustakas.

During the course of free agency last year, it was expected that Mike Moustakaswould draw significant interest from the Los Angeles Angels. The Kansas City Royals could not afford to retain him after he turned down the qualifying offer, and the Angels needed help at the hot corner. Add in that Moustakas grew up in California, and this appeared to be a perfect match.

Instead, as free agency dragged on, Moustaks found himself without any real offers. The Angels, who were expected to be bidding for his services, ended up signing shortstop Zack Cozart to a three year deal, moving him to third. With no other options, Moustakas returned to Kansas City, signing a one year deal with a mutual option for 2019.

However, it may be time to revisit that connection. Cozart is out for the year with a torn labrum, requiring surgery. In his stead, the Angels have been playing Luis Valbeuna, whose .216/.261/.367 batting line is definitely not what Los Angeles would hope for. With Mike Trout virtually trying to keep the Angels in the playoff chase on his own, it is time to add to the lineup.

Enter Moustakas. Although he is not producing at the same rate he did in 2017, when he hit a Royals record 38 homers, he has still put together a solid year. Entering Thursday, he had produced a .255/.310/.467 batting line, hitting 15 homers and 17 doubles. He has even been better than Cozart at third defensively, despite his zero runs saved thus far in 2018.

Even though the Angels have a relatively weaker farm system, there are pieces that could make sense for Kansas City. Cam Bedrosian could be a future answer for the Royals bullpen, as he was expected to be the Angels closer of the future in the not too distant future. Utility man David Fletcher could also be a possible building block, a player that could be plugged in at third in place of Moustakas.

Chances are, the trade would not be a simple Moustakas for Fletcher or Bedrosian deal. Another piece could come back, a lesser prospect lottery ticket. Meanwhile, the Angels could get that player they need to stem the bleeding, especially as Shohei Ohtani is getting closer to returning to the lineup.

The Los Angeles Angels were expected to pursue Mike Moustakas in free agency. As the trade deadline approaches, The Kansas City Royals third baseman could find his way out west after all.

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FROM FANGRAPHS

This might not be the Angels’ year

By Craig Edwards

In terms of playoff odds, Mike Trout gives the Angels a pretty good head start over the rest of the field every season. Where Los Angeles has had trouble over the last few years, however, is surrounding Trout with enough talent to make the postseason. They tried spending big, bringing in Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, and C.J. Wilson and extending Jered Weaver. That netted them exactly one playoff appearance, in 2014, when they were swept in three games. They’ve slowed down spending a bit in recent years, but made a savvy trade to bring Andrelton Simmons aboard, brought in Justin Upton and signed him to an extension, jumped on Ian Kinsler in a trade, signed Zack Cozart, and then lucked out in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes.

Despite what appears to be a collection of good moves, the results are still lacking. Now, news that Cozart will miss the rest of the season diminishes the Angels’ chances even further.

At the moment, there are only seven teams with at least a 5% chance at the playoffs in the American League. In the National League, there are nine teams with a similar chance. A week ago that number was 11 (sorry, Pirates and Rockies), and two weeks ago it was 12 (sorry, Mets). The National League looks very competitive this season, with a bunch of teams in the hunt and no single club possessing more than a 90% playoff probability. The American League, on the other hand, looks like this:

Four of the five playoff spots appear to be locked up, with the Mariners currently looking likely to take the final one. The pennant race is not without intrigue — the Yankees and Red Sox will battle to avoid a one-and-done Wild Card round — but Cleveland looks to be running away with the AL Central, and unless the Mariners have another gear, the Astros are going to take the West. As for the non-Yankees/Red Sox Wild Card, the Mariners have a seven-game edge over the Athletics and a nine-game lead over the Angels. If the Mariners win half the rest of their games, the Angels would need to win 50 to catch them. That’s 62% of their remaining dates, close to a 100-win pace over the course of the rest of the season.

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If there’s some sort of silver lining to the Angels’ present position it’s that they don’t have a lot of teams ahead of them. They are close to the A’s, with the Mariners the only other team left to pass. If they play well and the Mariners falter, the playoffs are a possibility. If the Mariners don’t reverse course, however, there’s probably nothing Los Angeles can do to reach the playoffs. That leaves the Angels with three options, and none of them are good. The club needs to choose the best of these: buy, sell, or hold.

Buy

With only Garrett Richards, Martin Maldonado, and Kinsler headed to free agency after the season, the Angels aren’t forcing the sort of flight of talent that would compel them to go all-in for 2018. The club would obviously prefer not to waste another prime year of an all-time great, but Trout is also under contract for two more seasons after this one, so going all-in this season at the expense of the next two years would be folly.

The team could make a run at Manny Machado or even Mike Moustakas. They could hope the pitching staff holds together and pick up another outfielder, but at what cost? The Angels are finally on their way to a respectable farm system. Even with the graduation of Ohtani, an injury to Chris Rodriguez, and Kevin Maitan’s failure to develop as hoped, the Angels placed four players in the recent FanGraphs prospect list update. They also took two intriguing high-school players with their first picks, which should add some depth to the system.

We generally think of prospects — particularly those, such as the ones in the Angels’ system, who might not be close to the majors — as help to a club in one of two way: either as part of a potential future core or as trade bait now. There is a third way, though, which is either obvious or nuanced depending on your perspective — namely, as a tradable asset down the road. If the Angels’ intention is to win during Trout’s remaining guaranteed years in Los Angeles, that reduces the utility of the club’s top prospects, who likely won’t be ready to make a significant contribution by 2020. However, some of those prospects might be traded this next winter or the following summer, when they can make an impact on the Angels’ chances of making the postseason. That impact would be far greater then than it would be now. The Angels probably should not buy right now.

Sell

The Angels have a few potential free agents who have some value. If Richards proves he’s healthy over the next month, he might be the best pitcher available at the trade deadline. Kinsler probably has some value. They might be able to get some depth for a reliever or two. This scenario probably seems like the most probable, and is almost always the most prudent course to take.

On the other hand…

Hold

The Angels are still a solid team with good players. If the Mariners collapse, perhaps the Angels want to make sure they are ready to take advantage. The prospects they receive for Kinsler or a reliever or two aren’t likely to be great. They can give Richards the qualifying offer and either bring him back on a one-year deal or receive a draft pick (or offset a draft pick lost for signing a good free agent). Holding feels

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non-commital and hesitant, where action feels decisive. In this case, though, maybe Richards comes back and pitches well. Maybe Fringe-Fiver David Fletcher’s Triple-A bat carries over to the bigs.

The cost of doing nothing isn’t great when the team is presumably looking to reload during the offseason. Even if the Angels plan to stay under the competitive-balance tax next season, they are going to have about $50 million to spend in the offseason. If the team does make a run, they can use some of their spending power in August before the waiver deadline. Doing nothing might not feel like the right move, but it is too early to pull the plug on the Angels’ season, even if they aren’t good enough to be worthy of outside additions.

FROM KYODO NEWS

Baseball: Shohei Ohtani doesn't need ligament surgery: Angels GM

Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Thursday that Japanese two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani does not need any surgery as he recovers from an elbow injury.

"No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time," Eppler said during a conference call with journalists, ruling out the need for Tommy John surgery that would force him to miss the remainder of the 2018 season and the entire 2019 season.

Eppler said Ohtani, who underwent an MRI earlier in the day, has been cleared to resume batting practice immediately. But he also said Ohtani will see doctors in three weeks to determine whether he can pitch again this season.

The general manager said Ohtani will not play in Minor League rehab games as the American League club prefers to have Ohtani rehab in a more controlled environment.

The 23-year-old Ohtani entered the disabled list earlier this month with a Grade 2 sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right pitching elbow. He has since received injections of platelet-rich plasma and stem cells in order to regenerate tissue.

Ohtani is 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA in nine pitching starts in his debut major league season and is batting .289 with six homers and 20 RBIs as a hitter. He last played on June 6, when he exited the mound after four innings with a blister.

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FROM THE SPORTING NEWS

MLB trade rumors: Five teams with decisions to make before July 31 non-waiver deadline

By Ryan Fagan

Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is a little more than a month away.

For some teams, their path to July 31 is clear. The playoff favorites (hi, Yankees, Astros and Red Sox!) will look to add to their major-league roster in an effort to improve their October prospects. The also-rans (hi, Orioles, Royals and Marlins!) know what they’re doing, too: trading away their assets to improve their future prospects, if the price is right.

Some teams, though, exist in a more uncertain state. The 2018 season hasn’t gone quite as expected, for whatever reason. Injuries happen, players underproduce, bounces go awry. Some teams came into spring training expecting to be a contender, but instead they’ve been mired around the .500 mark as July approaches.

So now what? Let’s look at teams with decisions to make.

All stats and records are as of the start of play Thursday.

Los Angeles Angels

Standings: 41-40, fourth place in AL West, 12.5 games out, 9 out of wild-card spot The situation: The past few weeks have been a disaster. After a win in Minnesota on June 9, the Angels were nine games over .500 and 3.5 behind the Astros and Mariners, who were tied atop the AL West. Since then? They’re 4-12, and you see their playoff predicament above. Sure, we’re still in June, but this is a franchise just barely hanging on to the idea of being a legitimate postseason contender. They aren’t going to catch the Astros, and they would need the Mariners to fall apart to jump into the second wild-card spot (the Yankees or Red Sox will claim the first WC spot). Heck, at the moment, the Angels are two games behind the A’s in their division.

Mike Trout is having arguably his best season, which is hard to believe but true, and still the Angels are floundering. Zack Cozart just landed on the DL for the rest of the season, the latest blow in a series of neverending injury issues this season. They’re hoping for good news on Shohei Ohtani, but if they keep losing it might not even matter.

What now? This is a franchise that’s made the playoffs just once in Mike Trout’s MLB career, and expectations were sky-high this spring after Ohtani’s arrival. But unless they start winning lots of games soon, the decision will be made for them. It would be incredibly hard to justify trading prospects from a system that’s just now getting back to respectability after years of being a bottom-five system in terms of talent. If a division title was in reach? Sure. But to trade away legit prospects for an outside chance at a spot in a one-game playoff? Hard pass.

Colorado Rockies

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Standings: 38-42, fourth place in NL West, 8 games out, 5.5 out of second wild-card spot The situation: The Rockies were in first place in the NL West when June started, but an 8-16 record so far this month has sent them tumbling down the standings. Remember, this is a club that earned an NL wild-card spot last season, brought back pretty much every significant piece of 2017’s club and added back-of-the-bullpen pieces Wade Davis and Bryan Shaw. This was a team intent on getting back to October.

What now? In an ideal world, the Rockies pitchers will improve over the next couple of weeks. They’ve been relatively healthy — they’ve needed only five starters all season (each has made 16 starts) — but three of those starters have ERAs north of 5.00. Barring some dramatic turn in either direction, this feels like a franchise that’s not likely to either go all-in on 2018 or engage in a sell-off. Only three contributors — D.J. LeMahieu, Adam Ottavino and Carlos Gonzalez— are set to become free agents after the season.

San Francisco Giants

Standings: 42-39, third place in NL West, 4.5 games out, 2 out of second wild-card spot The situation: The Giants have watched a parade of veterans head to the disabled list this year; Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Evan Longoria, Jeff Samardzija and Hunter Strickland all have measured absences in weeks, not days. But instead of collapsing like they did in 2017, the Giants persevered and are above .500, only a couple of games out of a playoff spot. Bumgarner has been brilliant in his return, and end dates are in sight for the other veterans currently on the DL. Hope remains.

What now? They’ll wait to see what happens when the veterans return. There is this wild-card, though: Bumgarner is set to become a free agent after the 2019 season (the club holds a no-brainer $12 million option for next year). There are not many No. 1-type pitchers available on the trade market this season, which means that if the Giants would decide to make Bumgarner — a lefty with arguably the best postseason track record in MLB history (a 0.25 ERA in 36 World Series innings) — they would be able to bring back a huge, huge haul. A franchise-altering haul of prospects and young players. With a lineup/rotation full of 30-somethings, that’s a scenario the front office should certainly at least consider.

St. Louis Cardinals

Standings: 42-37, third place in NL Central, 4 games out, 1 out of second wild-card spot The situation: You would be hard-pressed to find a more Jekyl-and-Hyde team in baseball this season. At times, they play like a team destined for the cellar. But they have stretches when they play like World Series contenders — like when they recently won four in a row against the Brewers and Indians by a combined score of 26-6. This is a franchise that’s accustomed to playing in October but has missed the postseason two years in a row. With their farm system full of potential impact players, it’s hard to imagine the Cardinals would actually turn into sellers, barring a complete collapse. So why are they here?

What now? This is the decision the front office has to make: How big are they willing to go on the trade market? To put it another way, are they going after Manny Machado? The free agent-to-be would be an ideal fit; his bat would help anchor the middle of the lineup, along with Jose Martinez and a resurgent Marcel Ozuna. Defensively, the Cardinals have enough versatile pieces to make a fit work. But the team that trades for Machado isn’t spending the prospect cost it will likely take just to reach October. The

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team that trades for Machado feels like he’s the piece that helps them win a World Series. Does the Cardinals’ front office feel like that’s the case for the 2018 Cardinals? Or do they try to find other ways to supplement the team before the trade deadline.

Oakland A’s

Standings: 43-38, third place in AL West, 10.5 games out, 7 out of second wild-card spot The situation: The A’s have won nine of their past 11 games to climb ahead of the Angels in the division, and they’re now the first team out of a wild-card spot, though at 7 games back they’re still not necessarily close to that spot. The A’s have a solid young core of players who are under control for several seasons; is this one of those years they push in and make a run?

What now? The A’s tend to zig when people expect them to zag, so we don’t claim to know exactly what this team will do over the next month. We do know that they’ll do their best to exploit the market to the best of their ability, which means shopping for trade bargains while also seeing what free-agent-to-be pieces like versatile veteran infielder Jed Lowrie (.842 OPS, 13 homers) and reliever Santiago Casilla (3.04 ERA in 21 games) would bring back, while also kicking the tires on reliable power producer Khris Davis, who will make well north of $10 million next year, his final arbitration-eligible season.

FROM THE JAPAN TIMES

Shohei Ohtani cleared to begin hitting after elbow shows healing

Shohei Ohtani’s elbow injury has healed enough that he can begin a hitting program immediately.

Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Thursday that Ohtani underwent an MRI in Los Angeles that showed improvement to his ulnar collateral ligament, clearing him to take batting practice in private.

“That’s news I was hoping to hear,” Eppler said on a conference call.

Ohtani was placed on the disabled list with a UCL sprain June 8. He will be re-evaluated by doctors in three weeks.

Asked whether Ohtani needs Tommy John surgery that could cause him to miss the rest of this season as well as all of the 2019 season, Eppler said, “No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time.”

Ohtani has a Grade 2 sprain, or partial tear, of the UCL in his right elbow. In hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery, the Angels had Ohtani’s ligament injected with platelet-rich plasma and stem cells earlier this month. Eppler said he has not had additional injections.

Eppler said Ohtani will not play in rehab games but will take batting practice in a “private and controlled environment” and could face live pitching as soon as this weekend. Because Ohtani is not a position player, rehab games were deemed unnecessary.

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“We can control a little bit more the progression,” Eppler said. “This allows for more freedom, structure and control.”

Ohtani has not been cleared to pitch yet.