Angels News: Halos Surprisingly Reinstate Injured Pitcher From IL
Left-handed pitcher Jose Suarez was activated off the injured list after suffering a shoulder strain early in the season. Suarez was initially placed on the IL on May 8 and, after a reported setback over the summer, was not facing hitters as of August.
Suarez told reporters that he pitched four games in Arizona, sparking the Angels to bring him back as a reliever.
Reporter Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register was surprised by the news.
"This is a little bit of a surprise since the word on Suarez was that he hadn't been making much progress, although we hadn't asked in a while," Fletcher wrote Monday.
(Via @JeffFletcherOCR)
Suarez struggled in his six starts for the Angels, holding a 9.62 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP. Angels manager Phil Nevin believed that part of Suarez's struggles were caused by the injury as well as some mechanical issues.
Nevin said that he was pleased with how Suarez has performed in the minor leagues.
“We were very happy with what his numbers had gotten to, with his velocities and shapes and things like that, obviously the things that everybody looks at,” Nevin said.
Suarez has posted a 3.86 ERA over 207.5 innings between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He will likely be tested over the next few weeks to see if he is back in game shape for next season.
Right-handed pitcher Gerardo Reyes was optioned to create space for Suarez.
