SEATTLE -- The Angels are dealing with a slew of injuries late in the season, as catcher Travis d'Arnaud was placed on the 7-day concussion list and lefty reliever Andrew Chafin was placed on the 15-day IL with left tricep inflammation.
The Angels selected the contracts of catcher Chad Wallach and right-handed reliever Connor Brogdon as reinforcements with lefty Reid Detmers going on the 60-day IL and first baseman/outfielder Niko Kavadas getting designated for assignment. Detmers was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday with left elbow inflammation but is still awaiting his MRI exam results.
“Everybody's feeling it this time of year, right?” said interim manager Ray Montgomery, who will miss Saturday and Sunday’s games to attend his father-in-law’s funeral. “There's certain things that you're just gonna go through that you have to work through. So just keep monitoring guys and see where we're at.”
The injury to d’Arnaud came in the ninth inning on Thursday, when he was hit on the top of his catching helmet on the backswing from Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez. He remained in the game but left in the 10th for a pinch-runner.
He joins fellow catcher Logan O’Hoppe on the 7-day concussion IL, as O’Hoppe was injured in a freak incident on Sunday, when A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson accidentally hit him with a warmup swing. O’Hoppe, though, has been making good progress and is expected to be activated on Tuesday in Milwaukee.
“We need to figure something out just because it's becoming a thing,” Montgomery said. “In [d’Arnaud’s] case, it’s unfortunate because he thought he was fine. But you can’t take any chances with that stuff.”
In just the inning before, Neto reinjured his wrist on a swing against reliever Matt Brash on a 3-2 pitch in the eighth. Neto appeared to be in discomfort but remained in the game and singled on the next pitch. He initially injured his wrist when he was hit by a pitch from Reds right-hander Nick Martinez on Aug. 20.
“He irritated it on a swing,” Montgomery said. “It stems back to getting hit by a pitch. Kind of the thing we've seen on defense, where he rolls it a little bit. If he gets into a position with that thing, it kind of irritates it, flares it up. So we have to see.”
Neto, who ranks fourth on the club with 128 games played, usually fights it when the Angels try to give him a day off, but Montgomery said this time Neto was OK with being held out.
“It really is like minute to minute, day to day,” Montgomery said. “Only he knows how he's feeling in the moment. We're gonna give him a minute to let it calm down.”
Adell, meanwhile, was scratched from the lineup with vertigo on Monday and Tuesday, only to play on Wednesday, but then be held out of the lineup again on Thursday and Friday. But he took batting practice and shagged fly balls before Friday’s game and was available off the bench. He said the flight to Seattle aggravated his symptoms but he’s feeling better.
“I'm hoping to get back pretty soon,” Adell said. “I got on the flight and it crept back and it was just kind of like a miserable 48 hours of trying to get it back, right? But we've got some ideas. We're working on some things to get me back.”
Chafin, who was acquired by the Angels in a trade with the Nationals ahead of the July 31 Trade Deadline, last pitched on Wednesday against the Twins. He posted a 1.98 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings with the Angels, and his season is likely over, as he wouldn't be eligible to return until Sept. 26 with the final game of the season on Sept. 28.
Montgomery will also be away from the team for the final two games of the series, with interim bench coach Ryan Goins getting the chance to manage for the first time.
“It's a double-edged sword at this point because he's lived a great life, happy to be able to go back and celebrate his life even though it’s terrible,” Montgomery said. “Go-Go is gonna manage the next two days.”