Angels Lose High-Paid Reliever for the Year With Elbow Injury
The news that the Los Angeles Angels didn't want to hear has arrived. Relief pitcher Robert Stephenson is out for the year with an elbow injury.
The team announced the news Wednesday night during their game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register added that the Angels will provide more details on Thursday.
Stephenson and the Angels agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract during the offseason after he posted a 2.35 ERA in 42 games for the Rays in 2023. He signed the largest free-agent contract the club issued this offseason.
The right-hander missed most of spring training with a sore shoulder, but he felt an elbow issue four pitches into his first rehab outing at Triple-A on Saturday. He was evaluated on Monday and sought a second opinion, which resulted in this devastating blow to the Angels bullpen.
The silver lining in losing the 31-year-old this year is that the Angels put a clause in his contract just in case this happened. If Stephenson misses 130 consecutive days on the injured list with an elbow injury, there's an option for a fourth year at just $2.5 million.
The Angels won't have to decide about picking up the option until after the 2026 season. For now, they will wait to learn Stephenson's diagnosis and how long he will need to recover.
