ANAHEIM, Calif. — Angels rookie catcher Logan O’Hoppe will need surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder, and he’s expected to miss 4-6 months, manager Phil Nevin said before the team’s game against Kansas City on Sunday.
O’Hoppe first showed signs of an injury in Boston after swinging the bat during a plate appearance, but he took the field in the next inning and continued to play consistently until Last Thursday in New York when he left the game against the Yankees due to injury and was placed on the 10-day IL the next day with left shoulder inflammation.
When asked if there was anything that could have been done after the first incident in Boston to prevent further injury to O’Hoppe’s shoulder, Nevin said “No… It has nothing to do with how he went about it or how we went about it. It’s just a freak thing that happens.”
“It’s like you wait your whole life and you get a taste of the end of last year. You work even harder and then you get a taste of hopefully what the whole year has in store. I think that’s the toughest part,” said the Angels top prospect.
In 16 games, the rookie hit .283/.339/.886, complete with four home runs and 13 RBIs. Without O’Hoppe, the Angels will rely on Matt Thaiss and Chad Wallach behind the plate. Thaiss, who was signed by the team in 2016, had a rough offensive start to the season with an 0-for-14 hitting streak that he snapped on Saturday against the Royals.
A newer addition to the team, Wallach made his Angels debut last year and has had one appearance behind the plate this year. On April 21 against the Royals, he caught for Shohei Ohtani at home and hit his first home run of the 2023 season.
“We feel good about what we currently have with Chad and Matt. Obviously, Matt being fairly young, we’re seeing him develop on a day to day basis and Chad’s been there and done that,” said general manager Perry Minasian.
There’s still no timeline to Max Stassi’s return. Wallach will get the start on Sunday in the series finale against the Royals, catching for Reid Detmers.
