TORONTO — The Angels are running out of catchers.
They hope it won’t be long, though.
On the day that Travis d’Arnaud was placed on the injured list because of right foot plantar fasciitis, Logan O’Hoppe provided an optimistic update on his progress in a return from a fracture in his left hand.
There’s no timetable for d’Arnaud, who was hurt trying to beat out a ground ball on Wednesday. O’Hoppe, however, seems to be close.
“I feel great,” O’Hoppe said. “Getting better by the day.”
O’Hoppe said he was planning to catch pitches from the machine on Friday, the first time he’d done that since he was hurt two weeks ago. He’s been taking batting practice in the cage, and he planned to hit on the field before Friday’s game.
The last steps would be hitting game-speed velocity from a machine, and catching a live pitcher in the bullpen.
O’Hoppe said he’s not sure if he’ll go out for a rehab assignment.
“It’s day-to-day,” he said. “I don’t know. Some days it’s worse than others. So far it’s progressively all gotten better by the day, so I’m not completely sure yet.”
O’Hoppe said he’s planning to come back, even if there’s still some discomfort.
“I’m not waiting by any means to not feel anything,” he said. “When it feels good enough to go then I’m going to go, even if it doesn’t feel great.”
In the meantime, the Angels called up 24-year-old Omar Martinez for his first time on a major league roster. He joins Sebastian Rivero, who was in the starting lineup for his 54th career big league game on Friday.
Martinez spent his entire pro career in the New York Yankees’ system before the Angels signed him to a minor league deal last November.
“When we look at videos and stuff, he could catch,” said Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, a former catcher. “Catch and throw and and stuff like that. It was as advertised in spring training. … It’s an exciting time for him, first time getting called up.”
Martinez, a left-handed hitter, was hitting .212 with a .731 OPS at Triple-A.
PITCHING UPDATES
Right-hander Ben Joyce, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, is scheduled to pitch again for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday. It would be his fifth game for Rancho Cucamonga.
Joyce has allowed one earned run in four innings, with five strikeouts and three walks.
“He’s better and better every time,” Suzuki said. “We’ll see after tomorrow.”
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez is also scheduled to start for Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday. It would be his first game with a full-season team since 2024, when he last pitched for the Baltimore Orioles.
Rodriguez has had a string of injuries and he had a bone spur removed in August. The Angels slowed him down this spring once he reported some general soreness, and now they’re essentially having him repeat spring training. He is expected to throw six innings or about 90 pitches on Sunday.
Right-hander Ryan Johnson was scheduled to start for Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday night at Oklahoma City. Johnson started the season in the major league rotation, but he missed a start with an illness and then hurt his hamstring.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 2-1, 3.05 ERA) at Blue Jays (RHP Trey Yesavage, 1-1, 0.96 ERA), Saturday, 12:07 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM