Angels’ Tyler Anderson says he’s had back trouble all season
ANAHEIM — The Angels finally made a concession to the back trouble that has nagged Tyler Anderson all season.
The left-hander was scheduled to pitch on Tuesday night, but the Angels pushed him back to Saturday because they want to give him more time for his back.
“I just feel like I’ve been battling, kind of dealing with it all year, just on and off, mostly on, but good enough to pitch most days,” Anderson said. “I feel like I’ve just been going about my business. I was still planning on pitching today. I think after my last start, it flared up probably the worst it had been most of the year. So the team just thought it was maybe a good idea to give it a few extra days and see if we can not have to battle it the rest of the time.”
Anderson, 35, has a 4.63 ERA in 23 starts. He hasn’t won a game since April 18. Since then he has a 5.19 ERA in 19 starts.
It’s been a disappointing season after Anderson was an All-Star with a 3.81 ERA in 2024. Anderson said he’s not sure how much the back issue has been responsible for the poor performance.
“Sometimes I feel like it’s just hard maybe finishing pitches, getting over the top,” Anderson said. “But when I’ve been pitching in the games, I don’t really feel it. I kind of go numb, like you don’t really feel anything out there. But it’s definitely made it harder to prep some of the days in between. So if there’s a carry over from that, I don’t know. But I don’t, for the most part, when I’m pitching out there, I don’t really feel anything.”
The Angels called up right-hander Victor Mederos to replace Anderson. It was to be the first major league start for Mederos, who pitched nine times in relief.
NO MOORE?
Second baseman Christian Moore was not in the lineup for the third time in a four-game span on Tuesday.
Moore, the Angels’ top position player prospect, started the first five games after he was activated from the injured list, before getting less playing time recently.
Moore is part of a rotation at second base and third base, with Luis Rengifo and Yoán Moncada. It stands to reason that Moore should get the most playing time of the three because the other two are free agents at the end of the season.
Interim manager Ray Montgomery agreed that plan made sense, despite the recent number of off days.
“I think when all is said and done, Christian Moore is going to have the lion’s share of ABs between now and the end of the year, and probably for the rest of the next decade,” Montgomery said. “So it’ll be fine.”
Montgomery said it was appropriate to give Moore some time off after he missed more than a month with a sprained thumb. Montgomery also believes Moore can learn from time on the bench.
“He gains a lot by watching and learns a lot by listening,” Montgomery said. “He’s listening in an environment that he normally wouldn’t be in because he’s never not played. I know we’re talking about three out of four. To him, that might feel like years. To us, that’s a blink of an eye. And the stuff he gains during that time might be just as valuable for when he’s back out there.”
NOTES
Right-hander Robert Stephenson told Angels sideline reporter Erica Weston that he is set to begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Salt Lake. Stephenson is expected to pitch on Thursday and Sunday. Stephenson has been out for more than two months with what the Angels are calling bicep inflammation. …
Outfielder Gustavo Campero was placed on the injured list with a sprained left ankle. Campero was hurt when he collided with the right field fence on Monday night. The Angels called up Niko Kavadas to take Campero’s place on the roster. …
A day after he was ejected for the first time in his major league career, Jo Adell said he was surprised that the hook was so quick from plate umpire Dan Iassogna. Adell was upset that he was hit with a pitch timer violation earlier in his at-bat. “I’m not defending what I said,” Adell said. “What I said is what I said, but at the end of the day I felt like there could have been a warning.” …
The Angels designated right-hander Shaun Anderson for assignment on Tuesday, which opened a roster spot for Mederos. …
Right-hander José Soriano said he’s talked multiple times to Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez over the past month. The Angels connected Soriano and Martinez to help him work on his mental game. “To have the opportunity to talk to someone like Pedro is amazing, unbelievable,” Soriano said through an interpreter on Tuesday. “It helped me a lot.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 2.37 ERA) at Angels (RHP Kyle Hendricks, 4.63 ERA), Wednesday, 6:38 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM