Angels place Hunter on restricted list
Angels place Hunter on restricted list
Hunter's 17-year-old son, Darius McClinton-Hunter, was one of five arrested in Prosper, Texas, on Monday, stemming from a monthlong investigation into an alleged sexual assault, according to a release issued by the Prosper Police Department. Hunter was in the Angels' clubhouse earlier on Monday afternoon, but he flew back to Texas to deal with the situation.
It's not known how long Hunter will be away from the club, but there's no limit to the amount of time a player can spend on the restricted list. In tune with the rest of the organization, Angels manager Mike Scioscia didn't go into any sort of detail, saying, "It's a personal issue, and we're going to go day to day with it."
Hunter did not immediately return a request for comment, but he did post a message on his Twitter account (@toriihunter48): "This is very tough for a father. Thanks for your prayers and support. Be blessed, everyone!"
"Family first, baseball second," said Angels reliever LaTroy Hawkins, one of Hunter's best friends on the team.
"This is a personal and private matter," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a text message. "I will not comment. We have no timeline in regards to his return."
McClinton-Hunter, of McKinney, Texas, was one of two adults -- along with another 17-year-old -- arrested on sexual assault of a child, which is a second-degree felony. The other three were juveniles, two of whom were also arrested for sexual assault of a child. The third was arrested for unlawful restraint of a child, which is a state jail felony. Prosper Police expected more charges to be filed as the investigation continues, the department's release stated.
A standout wide receiver, McClinton-Hunter has attracted interest from several big-name college programs.
His father is among the most respected and perhaps the most well-liked players in the Angels' clubhouse.
"Baseball takes a backseat when things like this happen," said left fielder Vernon Wells, another one of Hunter's close friends. "You're more worried about just the home than anything baseball-related. ... Any time something's going on with one of your kids, it's going to hit you pretty hard. He's all about family, all about his kids. You just pray that whatever's going on, it turns out the best for everyone involved."
Hunter had the day off in Sunday's series finale against the Rangers, but that had more to do with his 2-for-30 slump over the past nine games. Scioscia said Hunter, batting .256 with five homers on the year, would've been in the lineup against A's righty Tyson Ross if not for his departure.
Mark Trumbo started in Hunter's place in right field Monday and will get the majority of the playing time there while Hunter is out.
Langerhans, who was signed to a Minor League deal this offseason, was with the Angels throughout the majority of Spring Training and was batting .274 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 34 games for the Salt Lake Bees.
The 32-year-old Langerhans, a .226 hitter with 33 homers through parts of nine years in the big leagues, was still en route to Anaheim by the time the Angels were taking batting practice, but he was expected to be available for the opener of a two-game series against the A's.