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Angels lose Brandon Drury to injured list, recall Andrew Velazquez

July 2, 2023

ANAHEIM ― Brandon Drury tried swinging a bat Friday. His left shoulder didn’t feel great. Drury was unavailable again Saturday, and Sunday the inevitable happened: The Angels placed the veteran infielder on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder contusion.

Drury, the Angels’ cleanup hitter for most of June, is not eligible to return until July 14, when the Angels host the Houston Astros in the first game after the All-Star break.

“The All-Star break’s huge, having the extra five days to rest it, treat it, get it back feeling better for the second half,” Drury said.

The Angels recalled shortstop Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Salt Lake. Mike Moustakas and Eduardo Escobar, two veterans whom the Angels acquired to bolster their infield depth last week, were both in the lineup for the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Whether or not the Angels can succeed despite losing Drury’s bat will be a major question over the next week. He was batting .319 with an .892 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) in 40 games since May 12.

The Angels mustered only three hits and one run in Saturday’s loss to Arizona. Losing Drury, teammate Hunter Renfroe said after that game, is “like taking Shohei (Ohtani) out of the friggin’ lineup.”

Drury suffered the injury when he dove to his left in pursuit of a Yasmani Grandal grounder in Thursday’s game against the White Sox. His range of motion has improved since then, but Drury said his shoulder is still sore.

“I think having him at 100% out when we come out of the break, rather than fight through something and possibly damage it more and (have the injury) last a little longer, is the smart move,” manager Phil Nevin said.

PATIENT MOOSE

Amid their recent struggles, the Angels’ aggressive hitting approach has come into question. One player whose plate discipline has a chance to rub off on his new teammates is Moustakas.

The 34-year-old is seeing an average of 4.2 pitches per plate appearance this season, more than any year of his 13-year career. Not unrelated: Moustakas entered Sunday’s game with a .355 on-base percentage, well above his career .310 mark.

“I’m finally healthy and I don’t have to get to pitches, to where I’d be out front swinging at balls that I wouldn’t be able to hit,” Moustakas said. “And just overall growth as a hitter. Learning throughout the years what I’m able to hit, what I’m not able to hit; what I’m able to hit for power, not able to hit for power.”

Moustakas was hitting .270 with four home runs and 17 RBIs over 47 games with the Colorado Rockies on June 25 when the Angels acquired him for minor league pitcher Connor Van Scoyoc.

Last season with the Cincinnati Reds, Moustakas made six separate trips to the injured list. The last of them ended his season in August for symptoms stemming from a strained left calf muscle. Cincinnati designated Moustakas for assignment after the season.

A Los Angeles native who played at Chatsworth High, Moustakas said that understanding his strengths and weaknesses as he’s gotten older has not altered his basic approach. It’s just led to him taking more pitches.

“I’ve always had the same mindset,” he said. “My game is slugging and driving guys in, so I’ve always tried to do that.”

ALSO

Matt Moore (oblique) is expected to throw a bullpen session Tuesday in San Diego, Nevin said. He threw 15 pitches, all fastballs, off a mound for the first time Saturday without incident. … Logan O’Hoppe is expected to be cleared to catch the baseball Tuesday, the 10-week mark since the time of his left shoulder injury. To this point O’Hoppe has not been cleared to catch or push weights using his left arm. … Shortstop Zach Neto (oblique) played catch on the field Sunday.