Angels' $39 Million All-Star Provides Critical Injury Update

The Los Angeles Angels scratched left-hander Tyler Anderson from his scheduled start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

Anderson has reportedly been dealing with back tightness all season, but he said his back flared up after his most recent start on Aug. 6 against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

“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 to the Orange County Register. “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.”

The Angels replaced Anderson on the mound with right-hander Victor Mederos to allow him more time to rest between starts. Mederos has spent the majority of the season in Triple-A but made two relief appearances in April and July before making the first start of his MLB career on Tuesday.

Medero struck out three batters through four innings. He also gave up a two-run homer to rookie catcher Dalton Rushing, finishing his outing with three earned runs and three hits allowed.

Los Angeles expects Anderson to return on Saturday. Anderson said he has not felt pain in his back during his previous starts but that the injury has made it difficult for him to prepare in between starts.

“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.”

Anderson is wrapping up what could be his final run with the Angels, as he will hit free agency at the end of the season. He was a major name circling around at the trade deadline but the Halos ultimately decided to keep the southpaw in their rotation. 

Anderson has logged a 4.63 ERA and 97 strikeouts across 23 starts. The two-time All-Star will likely draw some more attention this offseason and could be parting ways with the Halos after three seasons.

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