Angels’ Yunel Escobar has a bone bruise on left knee
Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar reacts after being called out on strikes against the Oakland Athletics on June 19.
An MRI exam on Yunel Escobar’s sore left knee showed a bone bruise, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia revealed Sunday. Escobar is not yet a candidate for the 15-day disabled list, but he has not played since he suffered the injury Thursday and the Angels have not set a target date for him to return to their lineup.
“He’s making slow progress,” Scioscia said. “We’ll just have to keep reading it. Obviously if it gets out to the sixth, seventh, eighth day, you’re going to start to see where the balance is. But, right now, hopefully he’s going to make progress and be available.”
The Angels have a particular interest in playing Escobar only when absolutely healthy. He’s their most obvious chip to be dealt before the Aug. 1 nonwaiver trade deadline.
San Francisco and the New York Mets have both inquired about the 33-year-old who has hit .310 in 69 games as the Angels’ leadoff hitter. He’s due about $3.5 million the rest of the season, and his contract contains a $7-million team option for 2017, with a $1-million buyout.
In December, the Angels acquired Escobar for right-handed reliever Trevor Gott, who has since spent all of 2016 with Washington’s triple-A affiliate. Escobar could return more this time.
Escobar has already been traded six times within the last six years, as many as any active major leaguer.
Short hops
Left-hander Andrew Heaney and right-hander Garrett Richards will undergo ultrasound exams Monday to ascertain the level of healing within their partially torn ulnar collateral ligaments. They received stem-cell injections last month. …
Right-hander Joe Smith (hamstring strain) threw a scoreless inning in a rehab assignment for Class-A Inland Empire on Sunday. His next step has not yet been determined …
Jhoulys Chacin’s monthlong struggles have puzzled the team. The Angels evaluated the right-hander’s pitching mechanics Sunday morning and found no inconsistencies from previous seasons. “It’s just a function of not getting his pitches where he wants to,” Scioscia said. …
The Angels claimed right-hander J.C. Ramirez off waivers from Cincinnati. Ramirez, 27, has a 6.41 career earned-run average in 80 innings, and similar numbers this season for the Reds, who have by far the league’s worst bullpen. He’ll be added to the 25-man roster on Monday.
Twitter: @pedromoura
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