Kikuchi (shoulder) lands on 15-day IL with docs still discussing MRI results

ANAHEIM -- Lefty Yusei Kikuchi landed on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation on Sunday, four days after he left his start after two innings with left shoulder tightness on Wednesday against the White Sox.

Kikuchi underwent an MRI exam on Friday, but the results are still being discussed among the doctors and there’s no timetable for his return just yet. Shoulder injuries can be tricky, so there’s at least a chance he could miss significant time. Lefty reliever Tayler Saucedo had his contract selected from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Kikuchi’s roster spot.

“He’s got some shoulder stuff, some soreness,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “We're just waiting on how it progresses. He’s getting looked at and he’ll get looked at again. So we’ll go from there. Once we have something to report, we’ll let you know.”

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.

Minasian, though, said he doesn’t know if those changes had any affect 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 will need a starter on Tuesday against the White Sox. Right-hander Caden Dana could be a candidate after he had a solid outing with Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, allowing one run over five innings with five strikeouts.

Minasian, though, said they still haven’t decided who will take Kikuchi’s spot in the rotation just yet.

“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.”