HOUSTON -- Andrelton Simmons was walking somewhat gingerly around the clubhouse following the Angels' 6-2 loss to the Astros on Sunday, but the shortstop sounded fairly confident the damage to his right knee is minimal.
In the seventh inning, Simmons landed awkwardly on the side of his knee after he fielded an Evan Gattis ground ball and attempted a throw to first base. He walked around for a bit, talked with manager Mike Scioscia and seemed to be OK, but about a minute later, as Scioscia was making a pitching change, Simmons' knee started to stiffen up, and he was removed from the game.
"When I fell first, it was sore," Simmons said. "As Scioscia came out, the soreness went away. But then it got stiff. That's when I was trying to move around after, and it wasn't moving enough."
Simmons was replaced at shortstop by Kaleb Cowart, who moved over from third base, and Taylor Ward took over at third.
"I didn't want to be a burden for the team, if I couldn't catch something," Simmons said.
Simmons said the pain wasn't "horrible," but it also didn't feel great. He was checked out the team's medical staff upon exiting the game.
"They don't think there's anything major wrong," Simmons said, adding that he'll know more when he tests the knee on Monday.
Will he play in the series opener against the Rangers on Monday night?
"I'm hoping," Simmons said. "If it feels good, yes."