ANAHEIM -- Catcher Travis d'Arnaud was unexpectedly activated from the 60-day injured list after Logan O’Hoppe was traded to the Rangers on Wednesday, a day after d’Arnaud had his rehab assignment transferred to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga along with infielder Adam Frazier and fellow catcher Sebastián Rivero.
With the Angels trading O’Hoppe and reliever Chase Silseth to Texas for third-base prospect Angel Arredondo, d’Arnaud was reinstated after he went 0-for-4 while catching nine innings in Rancho Cucamonga's 12-4 loss to San Jose on Tuesday. The 14-year veteran had been out since May 6 with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, and will now share catching duties with Tyler Heineman.
“I think we'll mix and match,” manager Kurt Suzuki said after the Angels’ 7-4 loss to the Astros on Wednesday. “Obviously, not run somebody into the ground, but whichever guy we feel gives us the best opportunity to win that night. Everything comes into play when it comes to who's going to catch.”
Frazier went 1-for-3 with a homer and two walks and Rivero went 1-for-4 with a walk on Tuesday, while Frazier went 1-for-4 and Rivero went 0-for-4 in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over San Jose. They’re both likely to stay at Single-A through Sunday.
Additionally, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi will start his rehab assignment with Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, and is scheduled to throw three innings. Flamethrowing reliever Ben Joyce, who is coming back from April 2025 shoulder surgery, is also rehabbing with Triple-A Salt Lake and has thrown two scoreless innings, with his last outing coming on Sunday.
Before being activated, d’Arnaud previously played in six rehab games with Salt Lake, hitting .278 with a double and two RBIs. The 37-year-old slashed .200/.300/.314 with a homer and three RBIs in 14 games with the Angels before sustaining the injury while running to first base. He's in the second season of a two-year, $12 million deal.
“It went good,” d’Arnaud said of his rehab stint. “Feel good, happy to be back with the boys. Wish we'd have won today, but what can you do?”
Rivero has been out since June 9 after suffering a fractured hamate bone in his left hand on a swing, and is considered a bit behind d’Arnaud. He began his rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Sunday, going 3-for-3 with a homer while catching five innings.
Rivero will need to continue to ramp up his catching workload, but he’s been able to throw without any issues because the injury was to his left hand. Rivero, 27, slashed .245/.286/.283 with two doubles and eight RBIs in 24 games with the Angels this season before the injury, and was in the midst of a 7-for-7 stretch at the plate. Rivero can also be optioned to Salt Lake, when healthy.
Frazier, meanwhile, also played in six rehab games with Salt Lake, batting .217 with two doubles and two RBIs. He’s been sidelined with a right elbow strain since June 5, and he slashed .210/.297/.333 with a homer, five doubles and six RBIs in 41 games before the injury. The Angels could option rookie third baseman Denzer Guzman to make room for him on the roster.
Kikuchi will officially begin his rehab assignment on Thursday after he faced hitters at the club’s Spring Training complex in Arizona on Saturday. He’s been shelved since April 29 with left shoulder inflammation and said he believes he’ll need three starts before rejoining the rotation.
It would put Kikuchi in line for a return in mid-August, which he said has been his target. The lefty posted a 5.81 ERA in seven starts before being shut down, and is in the second season of a three-year, $63 million deal.
“I've been recovering well and my velo’s coming back,” Kikuchi said through interpreter Koki Goto. “Everything is going as planned from the plan I made right after the injury. So, it's a good sign that things are going smoothly.”