Angels’ Albert Pujols returns to Southern California for evaluation of sore knee
Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols returned to Southern California on Wednesday morning to undergo treatment on his sore left knee.
Pujols missed the Angels’ series finale in Oakland but will be ready to play in Seattle on Friday, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
The Angels are do not play Thursday. General manager Billy Eppler wrote in a text message that Pujols will be evaluated at home.
“Once that step is concluded, we’ll update the plan of care,” Eppler wrote.
Scioscia said Pujols hurt the knee when he slid into second base on a first-inning double Friday in Texas. He played the rest of the game and the next four games, and logged some of his best performances of a difficult 2017 season.
“It just irritated it a little bit,” Scioscia said. “He’s been playing on it. He’s been swinging well. It just affects some of his running.”
Pujols, 37, has played in 127 of the Angels’ 140 games. He is hitting .244 with a .289 on-base percentage and .394 slugging mark, all below the major league average. Hitting behind Mike Trout for most of the season, he has 21 home runs and 93 runs batted in.
In six years with the Angels, Pujols has repeatedly undergone surgical procedures during the offseason, hampering his ability to train. Scioscia said as recently as last month that he expected this winter to be different. But Pujols’ running has appeared more pained in recent days and weeks.
Short hops
The Angels’ rotation will remain on turn through the next week, though they could have skipped two starters because of off days Thursday and Monday. This way, Garrett Richards will receive a week between starts. He is scheduled to start Tuesday against Houston’s Justin Verlander. “I think the extra time is warranted here,” Scioscia said. … The Angels activated right-hander Bud Norris from the disabled list. They have 19 pitchers on their 36-man active roster. Third baseman Yunel Escobar will make it 37 on the roster when he returns from a strained oblique, though he remains at least a few days away.
Follow Pedro Moura on Twitter @pedromoura
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
