HOUSTON -- Shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who has missed most of August with a left ankle sprain, was activated from the 10-day injured list and inserted into the Angels' lineup on Friday. He went 0-for-4 with an RBI in the 5-4 loss to the Astros, but also made a spectacular defensive play in the seventh to steal a hit away from George Springer.
"Just feeling good, feeling better in the first place, and then just making sure I maximized the time I had down to rest, instead of trying to move around on it," Simmons said. "I rested a lot, and it feels a lot better now."
Manager Brad Ausmus said Simmons, who played in one simulated game prior to coming off the IL, will have Saturday off and will play in Sunday's finale in Houston. The Angels have scheduled off-days on Monday and Thursday of next week, and Simmons can expect to play the two-game series against the Rangers in between.
"The built-in off-days help us ease him back into play," Ausmus said.
Simmons' activation from the IL was one of a series of roster moves the Angels made on Friday. They also recalled left-hander Jose Suarez, who allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings for the loss, and designated infielder Wilfredo Tovar for assignment.
Suarez's recall was necessitated after the Angels decided to place rookie pitcher Griffin Canning on the injured list and shut him down for the remainder of the season. An MRI exam revealed mild inflammation in his right elbow joint, and the decision to end his season was made to let that settle without taking any risks of further injury.
"What is it, five weeks left of the season?" Ausmus said. "The amount of time it takes for him to heal and rehab, it doesn't make a lot of sense to try and rush him back the second time this popped up."
Ausmus said Canning wasn't happy about the decision to shut him down, but the manager took that as "the natural human reaction" to be frustrated with ending a season prematurely.
"He wants to pitch," Ausmus said. "Baseball players want to play baseball, pitchers want to pitch. He was coming off maybe his best start of the season.
"We still have to think about Griffin, a very young pitcher, and we have to think about his future."
Canning posted a 4.58 ERA over 18 appearances this year, including 17 starts. He allowed only four earned runs during his last three starts for a 2.12 ERA in 17 innings.
Buttrey: 'It is what it is. The peach and the butt.'
Ty Buttrey wasn't exactly sure his Players' Weekend name would be approved when he submitted his first choice during Spring Training, but fortunately for the Angels' relief pitcher, MLB's sense of humor aligns with his -- at least for this particular endeavor.
Buttrey went with the all-emoji nickname: a peach emoji, followed by a tree emoji. The peach emoji, among young people, is often used as a substitute for the word "butt." The tree is self-explanatory.
"It is what it is," Buttrey said. "The peach and the butt -- kind of a pop culture thing. It's been going around. It's hilarious."
The personable Buttrey has been hearing jokes about his last name most of his life, so poking fun at it is nothing new to him. Players' Weekend gives him a chance to join in the hijinks, and he's embraced it. Teammate David Fletcher was the one who first suggested Buttrey use the emojis on his jersey.
"I guess you could consider it a nickname, but it's more of just a little funny dig on my last name," Buttrey said. "You've got to have a little fun with it when [your last name] is Butt and Tree."