ANAHEIM — Robert Stephenson went from having a very common injury with a lengthy timeline to a rare one with no timeline at all.
In his second game back in the big leagues after a 13-month rehab from Tommy John surgery, the Angels’ right-hander felt a pain in his bicep that he said Saturday has been diagnosed as a stretched nerve.
“Kind of a weird injury, to be honest,” Stephenson said. “Unfortunately, I don’t really know what the timetable is, because they just don’t react the same way. You can’t treat it like a muscle or a ligament or anything, so kind of just waiting for it to settle down before I start throwing again.”
Stephenson said he was told the most recent similar example in the big leagues was from 2018.
“The treatment is essentially just kind of resting it,” Stephenson said. “You don’t want to aggravate it. But there’s not really a ton they can do for it.”
Stephenson said he planned to see a different doctor in the next couple weeks to “see if I can get a little bit more answers for it.”
In the meantime, he has no idea how much longer he might be out.
“It could be something that disappears overnight, could be something that takes a couple weeks or longer,” he said. “They’re kind of tricky, I guess.”
As vague as all that sounds, it’s better than the alternative, which would be something going wrong with his surgically repaired ulnar collateral ligament. Stephenson said this injury is “unrelated” to his Tommy John surgery.
It’s the latest chapter in a frustrating Angels career for the 32-year-old. He signed a three-year, $33-million deal with the Angels in January 2024, and then got hurt before he could even pitch in a big league game. He was barely into his first rehab outing last April when he felt something in his elbow, and that led to Tommy John surgery.
His return from surgery was on the quicker end of the spectrum. When he pitched a perfect inning against the New York Yankees last week, the Angels had visions of a dominant arm joining the back end of the bullpen.
It took just three pitches into his second game for him to feel something was wrong. Stephenson rested for a few days and then underwent two MRI exams.
“The good news is, obviously, everything looks good,” Stephenson said. “There’s not any major injury or anything. It’s just a matter of how long it’s going to take. And there’s not really a good answer for that.”
TROUT UPDATE
Mike Trout worked out in right field for the second straight day, increasing the intensity. He is scheduled to get a day off from outfield workouts on Sunday and then be re-evaluated for his readiness to play the field.
“He came out well,” Manager Ron Washington said. “Cross the fingers. Everything has been going well. I don’t think Mike will take a week to get ready. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next days he says he’s ready to go to the outfield.”
Trout missed a month with a bone bruise in his left knee. He returned a week ago to the DH spot.
NOTES
Third baseman Yoán Moncada (right knee soreness) began hitting off a tee on Saturday, according to Washington. He is eligible to be activated on Friday, the start of a series in Baltimore. “Once his time is up on the (IL), he should be back,” Washington said. “Right now we’re getting him slowly ramped back up into activities.” …
Utilityman Chris Taylor was out of the lineup on Saturday, even though he had three hits in his previous two games. Washington said he considered starting Taylor on Saturday, but opted to go with Kevin Newman because he’s trying to get him going, too. Washington said Taylor would be back in the lineup on Sunday. …
The Angels are 11-4 in one-run games, including each of their three victories prior to Saturday. “It just tells us when the game is tight, we know how to play very good baseball,” Washington said. “When you win those type of games early in the year, they set you up for being those type of games at the end of the year. Possibly, if you end up making it to the playoffs, you play tight ball games. So you’ve been in them so they don’t bother you.”
UP NEXT
Mariners (RHP George Kirby, 0-3, 8.56) at Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 2-2, 3.86), Sunday, 1:07 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM