Heaney set to make Triple-A rehab start

Calhoun returns from paternity list; Walsh credits Wooten, Reed for swing adjustments

May 18th, 2019

ANAHEIM -- Left-hander threw 58 pitches in an extended spring outing in Arizona on Wednesday without any issues, and his next rehab start will come with Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

Heaney, on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, will be evaluated after his next start, as he’s expected to need only one or two starts at Triple-A before returning. He’s scheduled to throw roughly 75 pitches with Salt Lake.

“Everything is going well, just building up,” Heaney said. “Hopefully pretty close."

Heaney, who suffered the injury in early March during Spring Training, said he’s more concerned about getting his health right than his results right now. But everything has been going well so far, which gives Heaney confidence going forward.

“For me, it’s going to be more just how I feel in between innings, after I’m done,” Heaney said. “Would like to get a little bit better read on pitches and stuff, but I think for me it’s just going out there and getting my work in, and making sure my body recovers and everything feels fine afterwards.”

Angels manager Brad Ausmus said he’s also been encouraged by the reports on Heaney and hopes to have him in the rotation soon. Once Heaney returns, the Angels will have to make room for him in the rotation, but it’s too early to speculate on who Heaney will replace.

"He feels good," Ausmus said. "It was a good outing. He used all of his pitches. I think he threw 58 pitches. He’s got another rehab outing on Monday with Salt Lake. We'll see how he comes through it before we make any decisions."

Calhoun rejoins Angels

Right fielder , who missed two games after being placed on the paternity list on Tuesday, returned to the lineup for the Angels in the series opener against the Royals on Friday. He went 1-for-4 with a double, RBI and run while batting sixth in the 5-2 victory.

Calhoun said everything went well with the birth of his second child on Wednesday. His wife, Jennifer, gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Lenox Grace, who weighed seven pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.

"She's doing good," Calhoun said. "The wife is healthy. The baby is healthy. Just recovering."

Calhoun was helped by the schedule with Thursday’s off-day, as he only missed two games despite being on leave for three days. Rookie second baseman Luis Rengifo was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Calhoun on the roster.

"Everything went to plan," Calhoun said. "So definitely nice everybody is healthy. Makes for an easier situation."

Walsh credits Angels for swing changes

Rookie first baseman/reliever Jared Walsh had an impressive debut on Wednesday, going 3-for-5 with three singles against the Twins. But it’s his power that got him to the big leagues, as he hit a combined 29 homers across three levels last year and was leading Triple-A Salt Lake with 10 blasts before his callup.

But Walsh noted that his power wasn’t always there, as he hit just seven homers in his four seasons with the University of Georgia. He hit two homers in 33 games in his first year of pro ball in 2015, seven in 109 games in Class A in '16, and 11 in Class A and Double-A in '17 before his breakout year in '18. He credited hitting coaches Shawn Wooten and Jeremy Reed for helping him last year in the Minors, and again this season.

"I think it was just getting my body in a more consistent position and having a better understanding of what I was trying to do at the plate,” Walsh said. “I'm very grateful that they allowed me to do that, and they helped me and they're continuing to help me. They've been huge, even throughout this season when I was in Triple-A. It's something I want to keep going as much as possible."

Walsh said he relies heavily on video to help correct bad habits with his swing, but stopped short of saying that his swing was retooled for launch angle reasons.

"I wouldn't really say launch angle,” Walsh said. “I think it's kind of common sense. If you're a hitter, if you hit a ball 108 mph, would you rather hit it to the shortstop or the left-center-field gap? I definitely don't think about my launch angle. I think about hitting the ball as hard as I possibly can and hoping it goes in the right spot."