Angels call up Nick Tropeano from triple A to pitch Tuesday

Veteran pitcher Nick Tropeano will be recalled from triple-A Salt Lake to plug the gap in the Angels’ rotation.

Manager Brad Ausmus said the right-hander, who started the season on the injured list with a right shoulder issue before being optioned to the minor leagues, will pitch after an undetermined opener against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.

Ausmus did not provide a schedule for the rest of the rotation, but rookie Griffin Canning’s turn is Wednesday. Felix Pena, who was supposed to pitch Monday at the Oakland Coliseum but couldn’t because he worked an inning in relief a day earlier, could pitch Thursday against the Mariners in Seattle. Left-handers Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney could follow.

Tropeano has not pitched in the major leagues since August. He was limited last season to 76 innings over 14 starts by the same injury that cost him a regular spring training this year.

Tropeano, who had a 3.56 earned-run average during his breakout year in 2016 before needing Tommy John surgery, has started slowly in 2019. He has allowed 19 earned runs and a .323 batting average in 22 1/3 innings for Salt Lake in five starts since late April. He has struck out 21 and issued seven walks.

But Tropeano, 28, is a known commodity to the Angels.

“There are not many pitchers in triple A, especially in the Pacific Coast League, whose numbers look real good now,” Ausmus said. “[Tropeano] has some experience. He’s pitched at this level before. We’re very comfortable with him.”

That said, there is a pitcher in the Angels organization whohas dazzled in his second season for the Bees: Jose Suarez, the Angels’ No. 2 pitching prospect behind Canning, according to Baseball America.

Suarez, 21, catapulted up the prospects list last season after he advanced from Class A to Salt Lake, where he made 17 of his 26 starts. His 142 strikeouts and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings last year led all Angels minor league pitchers. Since being activated earlier this month from the injured list, where he landed because of shoulder soreness, the left-hander has surrendered four earned runs and 12 hits and struck out 16 in 19 1/3 innings. However, he also has issued 10 walks, including three in each of his last three starts.

“The stuff he has is really good,” said catcher Dustin Garneau, who caught Suarez for Salt Lake before joining the Angels last week when Kevan Smith was placed on the seven-day concussion list. “It’s very sneaky. You don’t think he’s going to have the spin or the slider he has. He pitches like a 30-year-old. It’s fun to watch him out there.”

The Angels aren’t ready to test Suarez at the major league level yet.

“He wasn’t considered for [Tuesday’s] game,” Ausmus said. “I’d like him to get a little more work down there.”

Upton travels with team

Outfielder Justin Upton, sidelined with a toe sprain since late March, hasn’t begun to run outfield drills. He is no closer to returning from the injured list than he was when he began taking batting practice on the field with his teammates Friday. But in an effort to get ahead on his hitting, Upton requested to join the Angels on this trip to Oakland and Seattle to work with the hitting coaches.

Short hops

Right-hander J.C. Ramirez, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent in April 2018, will begin a rehabilitation assignment Thursday with Class A Inland Empire. Pitchers can be on a rehab assignment up to 30 days. The Angels haven’t decided whether Ramirez will rejoin the starting rotation or return to the bullpen upon his eventual activation, which is expected to happen in late June.

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maria.torres@latimes.com

Twitter: @maria_torres3