Daily Links for the LA Angels including Trumbo and Amarista practicing in the outfield, Morales not even taking BP anymore, Wilson looking like the odd man out and much more…
The Story: Mark Trumbo and Alexi Amarista have both started practicing playing the outfield.
The Monkey Says: I wouldn’t read much into this. The Halos are simply without a bench outfielder now that Willits has been demoted, so Scioscia is just trying to make sure one of these two can fill in should the need arise. It would actually be a good thing for Trumbo to keep working in the outfield since it will give him more of a chance to play when (if?) Morales comes back.
The Story: Kendrys Morales hasn’t even taken batting practice since seeing the doctor last week.
The Monkey Says: The Angels are trying to say this is no big deal, but I don’t buy it for a second. Hitting supposedly hasn’t been a problem for Kendrys for well over a month and now he suddenly isn’t even doing that anymore. Not good. At this point, I think we should probably all just make peace with the fact that Morales may not make his return until after the All-Star break.
The Story: Bobby Wilson is the odd man out.
The Monkey Says: Wilson hasn’t started a game since April 10th and appears to be living on borrowed time. I used to think the Halos might try and trade Jeff Mathis, but if that were the case you’d think they’d do something to keep Wilson from getting so rusty. Don’t be surprised if Wilson gets traded or DFA’d if/when Kendrys Morales returns from the DL.
The Story: A look from the fantasy perspective at the return of Joel Pineiro.
The Monkey Says: Unless your fantasy league is a true rarity and has groundball ratio as a category, Pineiro probably isn’t going to be anything other than a bench option in most leagues.
The Story: The Rays believe Alex Cobb was tipping his pitches during his weekend start against the Angels.
The Monkey Says: That is entirely possible, but it is also entirely possible that he was making his MLB debut and might not be ready to pitch in the bigs.
The Story: The Angels are hosting a knit cap donation drive at Angels Stadium during their game this Saturday.
The Monkey Says: If you attend this game and don’t make a donation, you are a bad person. Don’t get mad at me, I don’t make the rules, I just report on them.
The Story: Rich Thompson is an emerging force in the Angel bullpen.
The Monkey Says: The Halos really need another righty to step up and stabilize their middle relief and Thompson appears to be the guy so far. He has had enough time earning Mike Scioscia’s trust, but it seems like he finally has it.