LOS ANGELES -- Just as the Angels saw the return of first baseman Nolan Schanuel after he missed 11 games with left ankle tendinitis, designated hitter Jorge Soler landed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain prior to Saturday’s 9-2 loss to the Dodgers.
Schanuel, who sustained the injury while running the bases on April 4 and saw it flare up last week in Detroit, started at first base and hit fifth, going 0-for-3 with the Angels combining for just three hits for a second straight night. Vaughn Grissom, who had been filling in for Schanuel at first base, was held out of the lineup with left side tightness for a second straight day after suffering the injury while taking batting practice on Friday.
So it was mixed news on the injury front for the Angels. But manager Kurt Suzuki was glad to see Schanuel return after he went 1-for-4 with a double on Friday while on a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
“Happy to have him back,” Suzuki said. “Talking to him last night, he said he felt good enough to come back and play and wanted to be here, so more than happy to have him back.”
The Angels, however, could need to make another roster move on Sunday after right-hander Jack Kochanowicz recorded just one out and allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits and a walk against the Dodgers. Kochanowicz has an 11.51 ERA over his last six starts and could be optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake or even placed on the 15-day injured list, as he said he didn’t feel quite right after the game.
“Just dealing with some stuff body-wise,” Kochanowicz said. “It’s more so mechanics, but you want to feel good.”
Schanuel also indicated that he’s not at full strength, though he was cleared to return and believes he can play through it. He said it mostly affects him when he runs, so it shouldn’t be an issue at the plate or at first base.
“Definitely doing a lot better,” Schanuel said. “When I went on the IL, it was kind of hard to walk around. Now I’m able to run, go 85 percent, and it's feeling a lot better. Playing nine innings yesterday, I was super sore after the game. I think just being on my feet again and for a long period of time, I just have to get used to it.”
Schanuel, 24, slashed .262/.313/.387 with four homers, 12 doubles and 24 RBIs in 49 games this year entering Saturday. He said the time off allowed him to get a mental reset and that he’s not worried about aggravating the injury.
“I don't know. I haven't really thought about it,” Schanuel said. “It's to the point where I'm able to play on it, so I think, take it and run.”
Soler, meanwhile, was placed on the IL with his nagging oblique injury that was first described as a left groin injury, then left hip irritation and then left side tightness. He’s been dealing with it for the last two weeks but tried to play through the injury. He left Wednesday’s game in the fifth inning with the injury and was scratched roughly 10 minutes before Friday’s game.
Soler, 34, has slashed .220/.300/.402 with nine homers, 10 doubles and 33 RBIs in 58 games. It appears he could miss several weeks despite a mostly encouraging diagnosis.
“He got it tested, they said it's not that bad, which is good,” Suzuki said. “We’ll evaluate it after a couple of weeks, see where we're at. Obliques are tricky, you just never know.”
With Soler out, it could open the door for Mike Trout to see more action at DH while Nick Madrigal started there on Saturday. Zach Neto, Adam Frazier or Grissom could also be options. Grissom, though, was out for precautionary reasons. He wasn’t sure when he’d be able to return to the lineup, but he believed he’d be able to avoid the IL.
“I’m not a doctor,” Grissom said. “I don't know what to call it. I couldn't tell you.”