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Angels’ Brandon Drury goes for MRI to check still-ailing shoulder

July 8, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Brandon Drury’s time on the injured list might not be ending as soon as the Angels had hoped.

When the team placed the second baseman on the injured list with a left shoulder contusion last week, the expectation was that he would use the All-Star break to get healthy and be ready to go immediately afterward.

On Friday night, Drury conceded that he is still having enough discomfort that he went for an MRI exam.

“I’m just gonna wait and see what it says to have more of a plan of attacking it,” Drury said. “I thought I just jammed it really bad and needed some time, but we got a look at it today, so we’ll see what’s going on.”

Manager Phil Nevin said Drury still hasn’t done any baseball activity since he was hurt. He said they expect to “have some answers for you on that soon.”

The Angels are currently without center fielder Mike Trout, third baseman Anthony Rendon, shortstop Zach Neto, infielder Gio Urshela, catcher Logan O’Hoppe and Drury. Urshela is out for the season. Trout and O’Hoppe could be back sometime in August.

Drury, who is hitting .277 with 14 home runs and an .822 OPS, has been one of their most productive offensive players since mid-April.

At this point, it looks like the next player to come back will be either Rendon or Neto.

Rendon, who fouled a ball off his shin on Tuesday, was not even placed on the injured list because the Angels held out some hope that he would be able to play this weekend against the Dodgers.

Nevin said Rendon “is still pretty sore,” on Friday.

The Angels could have placed Rendon on the injured list retroactive to Wednesday and he would have been eligible to play a week from Saturday, the second game out of the break.

When asked why the Angels didn’t do that, Nevin said: “It’s an opportunity for other guys and we just don’t really feel like we need the extra player right now.”

The news on Neto is better.

Neto, who is out with a strained oblique, has been doing defensive work and hitting off the high-velocity pitching machines. He could face live pitching as soon as Saturday.

It’s possible that he could be activated for the first game after the break, next Friday.

“It’s just a matter of how he feels,” Nevin said. “He’s been out a little bit of time. As you know, hitting is a timing thing. How he feels coming out of this week, we’ll certainly have some better answers in the next few days.”

ALL-STAR ESTEVEZ

Closer Carlos Estévez was named to the All-Star team as a replacement for Cleveland Guardians right-hander Emmanuel Clase, who is missing the game because of the impending birth of his child.

Estévez got the news when Nevin surprised him by announcing it during a team meeting before Friday’s game.

“It feels amazing,” Estévez said. “I’m really excited. I’ve lost words for the feeling. It’s really amazing.”

Estévez, who is in the first year of a two-year, $13.5 million contract with the Angels, has converted 21 saves without a blown save. He has a 1.85 ERA.

Asked the difference between this year and the rest of his career, when he posted a 4.59 ERA in six seasons with the Colorado Rockies, Estévez said: “Finally got a lot more consistent with my slider and honestly, sea level man. It’s really rough to pitch up there in Colorado and now that I’m away from Coors, I see it even more. Because I don’t have to do the adjustment every seven days, every time we go out on the road, and that’s a big, big key and a big jump for me.”

NOTES

Trout rejoined the team with his left hand in a cast after undergoing surgery to have his fractured hamate bone removed on Wednesday. Trout said “it feels good.” He also said he decided not to attend next week’s All-Star Game. He’s been selected for the All-Star Game 11 times, but this will be the fourth time that an injury prevents him from playing. He last played in 2019. …

Left-handed reliever Matt Moore (strained oblique) is scheduled to face hitters on Saturday. If all goes well, the Angels could get Moore back next Friday. …

The Angels used a non-traditional lineup on Friday, with Shohei Ohtani in the leadoff spot. Nevin said he realizes that Ohtani might not see as many strikes without Trout protecting him. “We’ve seen him walk a lot lately,” Nevin said. “If that’s going to happen, you might as well have him on base to get it going.”