The July 29th, 2015 edition of Los Angeles Angels news including Trout gets MRI on wrist, reactions to Murphy and DeJesus trades and much more…
The Story: Mike Trout needed an MRI on his wrist and missed last night’s game as a result.
The Monkey Says: The MRI came back clean. The Angels were just being cautious with Trout since he’s their entire franchise. It sounds like he could be back in the lineup as soon as tonight.
The Story: In DeJesus and Murphy, the Angels are stockpiling platoon outfielders.
The Monkey Says: It is a bit surprising that they brought in someone to platoon with Cron at DH, though not entirely unwelcome. Obviously the team is hedging against his recent hot streak and just improving their depth in general. My favorite part of the moves is that both players have relatively cheap team options for 2016, so the Angels can get a feel for each player over the next two-plus months and decide if they want to keep either one or both or neither.
The Story: David DeJesus’s wife Kim was ecstatic about her husband being traded to the Angels.
The Monkey Says: The Angels, reuniting families one trade at a time.
The Story: The Angels filled their outfield needs with Murphy and DeJesus.
The Monkey Says: One small aspect of these three trades is that they took on money. It wasn’t much money overall, especially with Victorino, but they added over $5 million to their tab. For awhile it looked like they were going to cheap out entirely, but they did manage to make use of some of the luxury tax space they created by dealing Kendrick and jettisoning Hamilton. They still have more space left, so if they do decide to add bullpen help, they can afford it.
The Story: The Angels placed Matt Joyce on the concussion DL and called up Efren Navarro.
The Monkey Says: Navarro went right back down after the game as he was just up to hold down a roster spot until Murphy and DeJesus arrived. Dan Robertson will likely be joining him today, if he hasn’t already. Joyce, however, is now in limbo. There is no room at the inn for him once he comes off the DL, so he’ll almost certainly be designated for assignment when that day comes.
The Story: Jeremy McBryde was designated for assignment.
The Monkey Says: The Angels took a flyer on him before the season, but now he gets bumped off the roster after struggling at Triple-A. His 40-man spot was needed for DeJesus.
The Story: Vinnie Pestano was designated for assignment.
The Monkey Says: He lost his roster spot to David Murphy. The Angels probably would’ve preferred to keep him, but the unfortunate timing of the Joyce concussion forced their hand. It isn’t a big loss though as he was just depth and was certain to be non-tendered in the offseason anyway.
The Story: Analyzing the Shane Victorino trade.
The Monkey Says: Some were worried about the Victorino simply because they thought it might be the only move the Angels would make. Clearly that isn’t the case, so now there is no need to worry.
The Story: Collin Cowgill took batting practice again.
The Monkey Says: He’s reached this step before but usually ends up feeling sore the next day and goes backwards a step or two. The hope is he can clear this hurdle and progress towards a rehab assignment. Cowgill is superfluous now with Victorino on the roster, but it wouldn’t hurt to have Cowgill available when rosters expand in Toronto or if Victorino suffers an injury.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
