ANAHEIM — Robert Stephenson is coming up on two months since the one-game cameo that got everyone so excited about possibility of having the right-hander back in the Angels’ bullpen.
And he’s still not sure when he’s going to pitch again.
“I’m still optimistic I’ll be back this year,” Stephenson said on Friday. “I just hope it’s sooner rather than later. I hope it’s August and not September. These things have been so slow. Sometimes I feel like I’m making progress and some days I don’t. I guess that’s how nerves work.”
Stephenson returned from Tommy John surgery in late May with an electric perfect inning, only to feel some discomfort a few pitches into his next game. He was subsequently diagnosed with what he called a stretched nerve in his bicep. The progress from that has been agonizingly slow for Stephenson.
When Stephenson first returned to throwing, he had to stop for a week. He’s been throwing for about three weeks, getting to a distance of 105 feet. He said he’s scheduled to move to 120 feet on Saturday.
It’s still not feeling 100%.
“It doesn’t hurt, but there’s this discomfort to where, if I pushed it too quickly and tried to ramp up, tried to throw 90 (mph) plus, I don’t know what would happen. So kind of just taking it slow until this thing slowly loosens up. But it’s just really slow.”
Stephenson was moved to the 60-day injured list on Thursday, but that’s a formality since he’s already been out for 56 days.
Stephenson signed a three-year, $33 million deal in February 2024, but didn’t pitch at all for the Angels until May 2025. He had Tommy John surgery in late April 2024. Although his return from that surgery was a relatively fast 13 months, it lasted just two games.
“It’s been two years of not playing,” Stephenson said. “It’s frustrating.”
MOORE UPDATE
Second baseman Christian Moore, who is out with a sprained thumb, began doing some baseball activity on Friday. Moore played catch and then did the defensive drills that all Angels infielders do every day. He said he was scheduled to take some batting practice later.
Moore is wearing a brace on his left thumb.
Moore has been out for about three and a half weeks so far. He said at the time of the injury that he hoped to be back in two weeks, but the Angels suggested at the time that never a realistic timeline.
JOYCE VISITS
Right-hander Ben Joyce was back in the Angels’ clubhouse for a day on Friday. Joyce has been rehabbing in Arizona after undergoing what he revealed was a labrum repair.
Joyce said it’s still too early to know if he’ll be 100% by the start of spring training.
“I can’t say that now,” he said. “It’s just so early. I don’t even know the timeline. I’m just taking it week to week and see where it ends up. I want to pitch as soon as I can but I don’t know exactly when that’s going to be.”
Joyce said he is still “weeks away” from beginning any sort of workout with a baseball.
Joyce has hit 105 mph in the majors and routinely was throwing harder than 102 mph. Asked if he might reconsider the way he pitches when he returns, Joyce said: “I’ll get back to you in spring training.”
NOTES
Outfielder Jorge Soler (back) is still day to day, while the Angels do tests to determine if he needs more time off, interim manager Ray Montgomery said. Asked if Soler might need to go on the injured list again, Montgomery said: “It’s hard for me to say. That’s up to the medical people.” …
Third baseman Yoán Moncada is doing some work on his right-handed swing, but doesn’t seem to be close to being able to hit from that side in a game. “I don’t want to eliminate it or say it’s something in the forefront,” Montgomery said. “We need to be able to do it at certain times, but in the same breath we don’t want to give up what we’re getting on the left side.” Moncada has been playing against right-handed pitchers, but the Angels remove him from the game any time a lefty is on the mound. …
The Angels don’t have a pitcher yet for Monday’s game, which would be the next time the No. 5 spot is due. Montgomery said he isn’t expecting another bullpen game. “I don’t think so, but we’ve got to talk to through it and see what the options are on the availability,” Montgomery said. The most likely options seem to be right-hander Carson Fulmer or right-hander Victor Mederos, who was scratched from his last Triple-A start. Right-hander George Klassen and left-hander Sam Aldegheri each pitched on Thursday, so they would not have the normal four days of rest. Right-hander Caden Dana pitched on Wednesday at Triple-A, but he only went 2⅓ innings.
UP NEXT
Mariners (RHP George Kirby, 4-5, 4.65 ERA) at Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 2-6, 4.43 ERA), Saturday, 6:38 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM