LOS ANGELES — Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval now has a more serious concern than his struggle to rediscover his success on the mound.
Sandoval came out of his start against the Dodgers on Friday night with what was initially diagnosed as left forearm tightness.
Sandoval winced and emphatically motioned to the dugout after a third-inning pitch against former teammate Shohei Ohtani.
Further testing will reveal the significance of the injury that adds another frustrating chapter to his disappointing two-season stretch. Sandoval now has a 5.08 ERA, following his 4.11 mark last season.
A 27-year-old product of Mission Viejo High, Sandoval looked to be a long-term rotation answer after he had a 3.17 ERA in 2021 and 2022. He was a member of Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in 2023.
Now, he is another question mark in a rotation that is down to just two healthy pitchers from the start of the season: left-hander Tyler Anderson and right-hander Griffin Canning.
Right-hander Zach Plesac was recently called up and immediately stepped into the spot vacated when right-hander José Soriano went on the injured list.
Assuming Sandoval goes on the injured list, the Angels would have two holes in their rotation. They never called up a starter to replace Reid Detmers after he was sent to Triple-A.
With Plesac scheduled to pitch on Saturday and an off day on Sunday, the Angels could use Canning and Anderson for the Monday and Tuesday games against the Oakland A’s. They would need pitchers for Wednesday and Friday.
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Soriano, who is out with an abdominal infection, is expected back as soon as he’s eligible, on July 2.
In the meantime, the Angels could bring back Detmers. After giving up seven runs in his first Triple-A start, he has allowed two runs in 13 innings in his last two.
Right-hander Chase Silseth, who has been rehabbing from elbow inflammation, has also now pitched three times at Triple-A. He gave up five runs on Friday, lifting his ERA to 10.22 at Salt Lake.
More to come on this story.