TORONTO -- Logan O'Hoppe is nearing a return, as the catcher left the club to start a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Monday.
O’Hoppe, who has been out with a small fracture in his left wrist since April 25, was with the Angels in Toronto and hit on the field on Friday and Saturday. He also caught off a machine and ran the bases with no issues. O'Hoppe will play in a game on Monday and is likely to play in a few more before a potential return on Friday when the Angels host the Dodgers at Angel Stadium to start a 10-game homestand.
“I'm excited about that,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I'm excited to see Logan get back into it again. I know he's excited -- he came up to me and told me that. He said, "I'm going to be back soon and ready to go." So that's exciting.”
O’Hoppe, 26, slashed .205/.323/.256 with a homer, a double and eight RBIs in 26 games before sustaining the injury on a foul tip while catching in Kansas City. He said on Friday that it was especially frustrating because he was finally feeling like himself at the plate before he was hurt.
“I feel like the last series in K.C. was the time when everything was starting to click,” O’Hoppe said. “I had some deep flyouts, was catching the ball really well. So that was the frustrating part of it. So I've been breaking some things down with [catching coach Max] Stassi, but nothing too in-depth because I don't want to overthink myself into any holes. So I'm just going to work on getting healthy before then.”
O’Hoppe still has slight discomfort while swinging and when he moves his glove up and to the left while catching. He believes it’s manageable but the Angels want to see him get through a few games in the Minors before he returns.
“He's going to play more than one,” Suzuki said. “I'd like him to get a couple games in just to test that hand and make sure that everything's good. I wouldn't rule anything out, but I'm assuming Friday would probably be the safe bet [for him to return].”
With O’Hoppe out, Sebastián Rivero is the club’s primary catcher, as fellow backstop Travis d’Arnaud is out indefinitely with plantar fasciitis sustained while running to first base on Wednesday. Omar Martinez was called up for the first time in his career on Friday when d’Arnaud landing on the 10-day injured list.
Rivero, 27, entered Sunday batting .200 with one walk and one strikeout in 16 plate appearances, while Martinez singled in his first career at-bat on Saturday as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning. Martinez, 24, had previously played eight seasons in the Minors before reaching the Majors.
“It was cool,” Suzuki said. “He's excited obviously. First time up here, and he looks like he belongs just the way he's carrying himself. It doesn't look like things are too much for him. Obviously, he hasn't played much, but just being around the clubhouse and all those types of things. I think Spring Training definitely helped with the comfort of being around the guys. So we'll see when we can get him in but it was a cool moment.”