The Los Angeles Angels expect to have catcher Logan O’Hoppe back in the starting lineup for the series finale against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif.
O’Hoppe did not start Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Yankees, with the Angels deciding to err on the side of caution after O’Hoppe was hit on the head by the follow-through of a swing by the Yankees’ Jorbit Vivas in the eighth inning of Monday’s game.
O’Hoppe, a Long Island native and Yankees fan growing up, pleaded with Angels manager Ron Washington to start Tuesday’s game, to no avail, even though he cleared concussion protocol.
He caught a bullpen session and took batting practice before Tuesday’s game, and entered as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning, fouling out to end the game.
“He’s feeling good,” Washington said. “Of course, he came into the office to fight to get in there, but we’re just taking precautions. … Any time somebody gets hit in the head, no one wants to take a chance.”
O’Hoppe’s 14 home runs rank second in the majors among catchers, trailing only Seattle’s Cal Raleigh (19).
Angels right fielder Mike Trout will not be in Wednesday’s lineup, but could return to the active roster in the next few days. Trout has been on the injured list since May 1 with a bone bruise in his left knee, the same knee that required surgery last season, limiting him to 29 games.
The last hurdle for Trout in his recovery is to run the bases at full speed.
Asked if Trout will be activated for the series this weekend in Cleveland, Washington said: “I can’t answer that right now. I’ve got to see how things fare the next time on the base paths, and how he recovers.”
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (1-4, 3.17 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season for the Angels Wednesday, coming off his first victory of the season. He is 5-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 15 career games (13 starts) vs. the Yankees.
Right-hander Clarke Schmidt (1-2, 4.58 ERA) will make his eighth start of the season for the Yankees, coming off a 3-2 loss last Friday to the Rockies when he allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge went 1-for-4 in Tuesday’s game, his batting average sitting at .395 through 54 games, exactly one-third of the way through the season.
While the prospects of becoming the first player since Ted Williams in 1941 to hit .400 seem unlikely, what Judge is doing is remarkable according to Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus.
“When you throw in the specialization of pitching and all the information pitchers now have at their fingertips in terms to game plan and attack hitters – it’s light years advanced from not only what I dealt with 15, 20 years ago, but imagine compared to 30, 40, 50 years ago,” said Ausmus, who joined the Yankees coaching staff last season.
“I always thought this guy was a really good hitter with really big power. I didn’t realize until last year just how good of an actual hitter he actually is – he’s controlling the strike zone, getting his walks, getting his non-home run hits, making the pitcher work. It was just a pleasure to watch what he did last year. It’s the best I’ve ever witnessed.”
-Field Level Media
