The May 21st, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Hamilton could return Monday, Ibanez not in danger of losing roster spot and much more…
The Story: Josh Hamilton will start a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Thursday with a goal of being activated from the DL on Monday.
The Monkey Says: The tweet says Friday, but it is actually going to be Thursday with him still on target for a Monday return. When he does come back, we can finally end the tragedy that is Raul Ibanez batting clean-up. Just imagine how much better this lineup will be!
The Story: Raul Ibanez’s roster spot appears to be safe despite all the players coming off the DL.
The Monkey Says: For now, at least. He has shown enough signs of life this month for the team to give him a longer look, but he is going to have to turn it around fast to keep from losing playing time to the likes of Cowgill, Cron and Green.
The Story: Brandon Lyon opted out of his contract with the Angels.
The Monkey Says: The writing was on the wall that Lyon was not very high up on the ladder of relievers who might get a call-up. He’ll try his luck elsewhere.
The Story: An overeager Angels fan squashed a little old lady while catching a foul ball.
The Monkey Says: It’s just a ball, people. Please do not dislocate the shoulders of senior citizens to get one. That’s poor form.
The Story: David Freese was activated from the DL and Luis Jimenez was optioned to Triple-A.
The Monkey Says: Freese wasn’t very good before he got hurt, but he had started to come around. Lucho had been fairly useless, so Freese remains an upgrade no matter what form he takes upon his return. The only issue now is that Freese will have to worry about playing well enough to keep Halo management from looking to Grant Green.
The Story: The Angels extended their affiliation agreement with the Salt Lake Bees through 2016.
The Monkey Says: At a point you would think the Angels would want to get out of the PCL due to the extreme environment, but that may not be possible or convenient since it would mean having a Triple-A affiliate located in the Eastern or Central time zone. Oh well.
The Story: The swing problems troubling Mike Trout.
The Monkey Says: It seems Trout has already identified some of these problems. Between his penchant for adjusting quickly and the return of Don Baylor to a more active role, I have to think he’ll get things ironed out before long.
The Story: Tyler Skaggs and the value of a fastball.
The Monkey Says: Thanks again, Arizona, for not not fixing his mechanics and instead just shipping him out. I mean, it isn’t like you currently employ one of the most respected pitching coaches in history and never gave him a chance to work his magic on Skaggs… oh, wait.
The Story: To worry or not worry about Mike Trout.
The Monkey Says: Seriously, people. Stop worrying, it will all be OK. Talent will eventually triumph.
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