ANAHEIM -- JC Ramirez was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday with a right elbow strain, becoming the third injured starter for the Angels in their nascent 2018 season.
Ramirez, 29, experienced tightness in his forearm during the Angels' 7-3 loss to the A's on Saturday night and departed his start after giving up three runs and walking five in two innings. It's unsettling news for Ramirez, who did not pitch after Aug. 19 last year after undergoing stem-cell therapy to treat a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The Angels were already without Matthew Shoemaker, who is officially out with a strained right forearm but will undergo more tests on Monday to determine a precise diagnosis, and Andrew Heaney, who will likely rejoin the club soon after sitting out the opening week of the season with an inflamed left elbow.
Injuries have decimated the Angels' rotation the past two years, with Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, Heaney and Ramirez all missing substantial chunks of the 2017 season. Aside from Shohei Ohtani, the Angels made no additions to their rotation over the offseason, as they were optimistic that they would enter 2018 with a healthier and deeper pitching staff.
But this season is now off to an eerily similar start, serving as a painful reminder of their previous misfortunes. Before Sunday's game, manager Mike Scioscia knocked on wood -- literally -- after being asked if the early injury developments reminded him of what happened last year.
"I think we're better equipped to handle some issues," Scioscia said. "It looks like we're going to get Andrew Heaney back, which is going to give us a big lift. We'll await news on JC, and we'll await news on Matt Shoemaker. Hopefully, it's not to the depth of what happened the last couple years with our rotation. We'll keep our fingers crossed."
In a pair of corresponding roster moves, the Angels recalled right-handed relievers Eduardo Paredes and Felix Pena from Triple-A Salt Lake ahead of Sunday's series finale against the A's. Right-hander Akeel Morris, who threw 36 pitches over 2 1/3 innings in his Angels debut on Saturday, was optioned.
The Angels currently have 10 relievers in their bullpen, as their starters have combined to go 3 2/3 innings over their past two games. With only three starters on their 25-man roster, the Angels will need to add another pitcher on Wednesday to start their series finale at Texas. Heaney, who threw 6 1/3 innings in a rehab start on Friday, will likely fill the slot, though the Angels have not made an official announcement yet. Nick Tropeano, who is currently at Triple-A Salt Lake, is another candidate to join the Angels' rotation this week.