The Angels activated first baseman Jared Walsh from the 10-day injured list and designated outfielder Brett Phillips for assignment. (J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group was among those to report the news.) Walsh will make his season debut after being plagued by insomnia and recurring headaches. These neurological issues have plagued Walsh for over a year.
In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Sam Blum, Walsh detailed his issues, which ranged from lack of sleep to tremors to a loss of depth perception.
“It’s been hell. Not knowing what’s going on, not understanding what’s happening with my body….And not being able to get answers, not being able to figure out why I can’t do basic tasks. It’s been pretty concerning for me,” Walsh said.
Fortunately, a stint at a specialized clinic seems to have gotten Walsh on the right track, to the point that is ready to make his return to the field. A rehab stint at Triple-A Salt Lake has borne some very positive results, as Walsh had a 1.176 OPS over 33 plate appearances.
Walsh hit .280/.338/.531 with 38 homers over 693 plate appearances for the Angels in 2020-21, but his production badly fell off last season due to both his neurological problems and thoracic outlet syndrome. Walsh underwent TOS surgery last September to hopefully correct that problem, though it remains to be seen how he’ll fare in his return to the big leagues.
Brandon Drury, Gio Urshela and Jake Lamb have handled most of the first base duties for Anaheim this season, and Drury should continue to get the bulk of work at second base while Urshela can continue to get time at shortstop and play third while Anthony Rendon is on the 10-day IL. Shohei Ohtani’s presence keeps the Angels from juggling at-bats through the DH spot, but the club will likely be a little cautious about pushing Walsh too much. Drury or Urshela seem likely to get some first base starts when a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.
Phillips was signed to a one-year, $1.2M deal during the offseason, but the Angels have a pretty stable starting outfield trio (Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, Hunter Renfroe) and two capable backups in Mickey Moniak and utilityman Luis Rengifo. This has made Phillips little more than a late-game fill-in for defensive purposes or as a pinch-runner, with only two starts and 16 PA over 19 games. Phillips has also collected only one hit in those 16 trips to the plate.
The Angels owe Phillips roughly $835K in remaining salary and will remain responsible for that money unless another team claimed Phillips on waivers. If Phillips clears the DFA wire, a new team can sign him and then owe him only the prorated portion of the major league minimum salary for any time spent in the big leagues, with Anaheim still covering the rest of the $835K. Given Phillips’ reputation as a strong defender, baserunner and clubhouse presence, it would seem like there’s a good chance he’ll catch on with another team.
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