Rendon (groin), Trout (elbow) close to return

April 25th, 2021

Over the next few days, the Angels could be getting and -- two of their most important players -- back from injury.

Rendon has been on the 10-day injured list since April 12 with a strained left groin, and he could be activated for the Angels' upcoming series against the Rangers. Trout hasn't played since Thursday due to a left elbow contusion, and he was out of the starting lineup again for the series finale against the Astros on Sunday.

Trout said he's looking forward to rejoining the starting lineup on Monday.

“It's getting better each and every day," Trout said. "Took a couple swings today. Still not 100 percent, but looking forward to being in the lineup tomorrow."

Maddon said Rendon has a chance to make his return in the next couple of days.

“[Rendon] has a solid chance in Texas,” Maddon said. “Probably, I'd like to believe tomorrow -- if not, the worst-case scenario should be the day after that.”

The Angels are in the midst of a stretch in which they have gone 3-7 over their last 10 games, in addition to having had games rescheduled due to COVID-19 issues within the Twins’ organization. But Maddon said there is no panic because of the beauty of having 162 games this season.

“We always want to win,” Maddon said. “I would not panic in any way, shape or form. I have been in these situations before. There's guys that are injured. That's a big part of what's going on right now and the way we had to maneuver the rotation based on the [postponed] games with Minnesota. There's all little attitudinal things going on there.”

Maddon said one of the most overlooked losses the Angels have had thus far is Dexter Fowler's season-ending left ACL tear. The Halos' skipper said the impact Fowler had went beyond the field, and they are still working on filling the hole left by his absence.

“Dexter was much more than a batting average, so we're trying to fill it all back up together based on a lot of things we started out well with that we've been missing for about a week now, but we'll get it back,” Maddon said. “We'll figure it out. That's the beauty of 162 [games] over 60, and that's why the length of the season is so important. So that you can absorb moments like this more readily and know that you can come out on the other side well.”

Ohtani dual decision still TBD
Two-way player Shohei Ohtani will make his next start on the mound against the Rangers on Monday. Whether he both pitches and hits in the game is still up in the air.

Maddon said the decision will be based more on what the Halos' bench depth looks like since they would need to sacrifice the designated hitter in order for Ohtani to do both.

“I just don't know what our bench is going to look like [and] having enough people to absorb that,” Maddon said. “I'm not certain yet.”