Kikuchi hopes to avoid surgery on injured shoulder

ANAHEIM -- Lefty Yusei Kikuchi landed on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation on Sunday, but will attempt to rehab his shoulder without undergoing surgery, manager Kurt Suzuki said on Tuesday before the Angels' matchup against the White Sox.

Kikuchi, who left his start after two innings with left shoulder tightness on Wednesday against the White Sox in Chicago, will be shut down for three or four weeks before he starts his throwing program. He underwent an MRI exam on Friday and had a second opinion before deciding to try to rehab his shoulder without an operation.

“He's going to go on no-throw for three or four weeks and then build back up after that,” Suzuki said. “So he's going to rehab it and then build him back up and see where we are.”

Kikuchi, 34, has struggled this year, posting a 5.81 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 14 walks in 31 innings. His velocity was also notably down in Chicago, as his fastball averaged 94.2 mph, which was 1.3 mph lower than his season average.

Kikuchi, who signed a three-year deal worth $63 million before last season, worked to raise his arm angle before the season, only to lower it every start to try to get closer to his form from last year when he was an All-Star. His arm angle was at 50.2 degrees in his first start of the season and was 47.3 degrees against the White Sox after being at 36 degrees last year.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian, though, said on Sunday he doesn’t know if those changes had any effect on Kikuchi’s health. Kikuchi said on Wednesday that he didn’t believe they were related. The lefty also had an altered routine in Spring Training to get ready to pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

“It's hard to say,” Minasian said. “You could bring up the WBC, you could bring up the arm angle, I don't know.”

With Kikuchi out, the Angels called up lefty Sam Aldegheri for a spot start against the White Sox on Tuesday. Aldegheri is one of several young starters who could get a chance with Kikuchi out, as right-hander Caden Dana is also pitching well and fellow right-hander George Klassen has already made two starts with the Angels this season.

“We've got guys we really like,” Minasian said. “We've got some young arms, so we'll just go from there and guys will get an opportunity. We currently have four homegrown starters in our rotation. So we'll add another one and see what happens.”