Kochanowicz placed on IL with elbow inflammation; Aldegheri called up

LOS ANGELES -- After recording just one out in his start against the Dodgers on Saturday, right-hander Jack Kochanowicz was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation before Sunday’s series finale at Dodger Stadium.

Left-hander Sam Aldegheri, ranked as the club’s No. 16 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to join the bullpen and could be an option to replace Kochanowicz in the rotation.

Kochanowicz said he’s been dealing with the elbow issue for his last three starts, and it flared up while throwing his changeup on Saturday. He underwent an X-ray exam on Saturday that came back negative; he will undergo an MRI exam on Monday.

“I felt it on some changeups the last few weeks and yesterday on some changeups, it specifically was bothering me,” Kochanowicz said. “The last three [starts] definitely. It's been limiting my throwing midweek, my bullpens midweek a little bit, but I've been trying to push through, trying to stay positive. But just the changeups yesterday, it was a little more painful.”

Kochanowicz, 25, got off to a strong start to the season with a 3.05 ERA through his first seven starts but posted an 11.51 ERA over his last six outings, including an 18.90 ERA over his final three starts. All told, he's registered a 6.05 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 36 walks in 64 innings.

His velocity was fine against the Dodgers, as his fastball averaged 97 mph and was up from his season average, but he threw eight changeups among his 38 pitches and said that’s what bothered him the most. He was hit hard, giving up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and a walk with a wild pitch in a 9-2 loss.

“The velo with the fastball was OK, but I think it was the changeup that affected him,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “Once we get the results, we'll know more of how to proceed and what's going on.”

Kochanowicz said it was hard to gauge his level of concern until he undergoes his MRI exam, but Suzuki noted it’s never great to hear the elbow is an issue. Kochanowicz said after his start that he felt off “body-wise” but didn’t indicate it was an elbow injury until Sunday.

“It's never good when you say you have that medial pain in your elbow,” Suzuki said. “We’ll know more once we get the MRI. But anytime you have to go get an MRI, it's not exciting. Hopefully, the tests come back, and it's nothing serious.”

With Kochanowicz out, the Angels will have to determine who takes his spot in the rotation, and Aldegheri is a candidate after a strong showing in long relief on Tuesday against the Rockies, throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two walks. But he could be needed in long relief again, so right-handers Caden Dana and George Klassen are also options.

Dana, 22, is coming off a strong outing with Triple-A Salt Lake, throwing six scoreless frames with eight strikeouts on Friday, and has regained his velocity after battling mononucleosis earlier this season. Klassen, ranked as the club’s No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, allowed two runs over five innings with six strikeouts with Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

“Potentially, it could be [Aldegheri] with the way he pitched last time out of the ‘pen, he pitched really well,” Suzuki said. “But we’ll just see when we get to that point. We’ll weigh our options and see what the best option is for us.”