Angels Put Struggling Left-Handed Reliever On IL Due To Elbow Inflammation

Angels Put Struggling Left-Handed Reliever On IL Due To Elbow Inflammation

The Los Angeles Angels announced today that they’ve placed lefty reliever on the 15-day DL due to elbow inflammation, with right-hander Ryan Johnson reinstated from the IL in a subsequent move. The move was reported by Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors com.

The injury is especially noteworthy given Pomeranz’s injury history. He’s had multiple arm surgeries, which kept him out from 2022-24, but he had a bounce-back season with the Chicago Cubs, posting a 2.17 ERA over 49-2/3 innings.

The Angels gambled on Pomeranz becoming key part of their bullpen, and the signed him to a one-year $4 million deal for this season. But Pomeranz has been very ineffective, especially lately, and the 37-year old reliever has a 7.20 ERA through 15 innings. His strikeout rate of 16.7 percent to got with an 11.4 percent walk rate are both down from last year, when his numbers in those two categories were 28.1 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively.

Johnson has had an odd start to his career, as McDonald noted, and as a result the Angels are still trying to get him on track. He was drafted 74th overall in the summer of 2024, but he didn’t pick at all in the minors that year. He made the Angels roster to open last season despite the fact that he had no professional experience, and Johnson pitched poorly as a result for several weeks. He was then sent to High-A, where the Angels have been letting him work as a starter.

Johnson once again made the rotation this year, but he landed on the IL due to a viral infection after just one start. He recently started a rehab stint, going 3-1/3 innings on May 3, then five more on May 8.

His status still hasn’t been resolved, according to a quote from manager that was attributed to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and picked up by McDonald.