The Angels moved back over the .500 mark with today’s 6-5 walkoff victory over the Orioles, though it may have been a costly win as both Anthony Rendon (left hamstring tightness) and Taylor Ward (right index index finger) made early exits due to potential injuries. The early word from the team training staff is that neither injury seems particularly serious, manager Joe Maddon told The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris and other reporters. Rendon and Ward are both questionable for Monday’s game with the Red Sox, but any absence “should not be something elongated. That’s the original diagnosis I’ve been given,” Maddon said.
Rendon has already missed a little over three weeks due to two separate IL stints earlier this season, and also been bothered by a triceps strain. It’s safe to assume these issues have been a factor in Rendon’s underwhelming .240/.329/.382 slash line, though the third baseman has been heating up over the last week. Rendon’s hamstring problem forced him out of the game in the sixth inning, Maddon said, after Rendon attempted to field an infield single from Baltimore’s Austin Hays.
Ward suffered a jammed finger while diving back to a base, according to Maddon. The Angels’ outfield injuries have results in quite a bit of playing time for Ward this season, who has embraced the opportunity by hitting a solid .247/.333/.437 (113 wRC+) with seven homers over 199 PA. The 27-year-old was originally called up from Triple-A on May 5 as part of a series of roster moves that included Rendon’s second IL placement.
The team can hardly afford to be short any more position players, as Justin Upton’s sore back will keep him on the injured list beyond the 10-day minimum. Upton was eligible to be activated today, though Maddon said before the game (to The Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher and other reporters) that Upton is “still not quite ready….So we’re just gonna have to make sure that he gets all the proper work in before he gets out there. We need to get him out there, do some defensive work running a little bit, etc.” The Halos manager doesn’t think Upton’s absence will last through the week and into the All-Star break, as Maddon believes Upton could be ready to play “any day now.”