Angels' Ureña exits after taking 102.6 mph liner off leg

ANAHEIM -- Angels right-hander Walbert Ureña exited his start against the Mets on Friday night after being hit in the right leg by a line drive from Bo Bichette in the sixth inning of the series opener at Angel Stadium.

Ureña, ranked as the club’s No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline, cruised through five scoreless innings before Bichette hit a first-pitch fastball 102.6 mph that caromed hard off Urena’s leg for a single to open the sixth. Ureña immediately hit the ground while Bichette reached on an infield single.

Ureña was visited at the mound by manager Kurt Suzuki, pitching coach Mike Maddux and trainers Mike Frostad and Eric Munson and eventually got up and was able to throw a few warmup pitches. But he ultimately had to leave the game due to injury, despite walking off the field on his own accord.

It spoiled an otherwise strong outing for Ureña in his third career start. He didn’t allow a hit through the first three innings and faced the minimum over that span thanks to a double-play grounder off the bat of Ronny Mauricio in the third.

The 22-year-old scattered two hits and three walks with four strikeouts over five-plus frames before being replaced by veteran lefty Brent Suter. Suter, though, allowed the inherited runner to score on a one-out single from Francisco Alvarez.