Angels place David Fletcher on 15-day IL due to hip strain

The Los Angeles Angels announced a set of roster moves today, including the placement of middle infielder David Fletcher on the 15-day injured list with a left hip strain. 

Lefty Kenny Rosenberg was optioned to Triple-A, and outfielder Jose Rojas was placed on the injured list for an unspecified reason, implying a COVID-19 issue. 

Joining the active roster are outfielder Aaron Whitefield and infielder Luis Rengifo.

This is already the second time Fletcher has been sidelined by a hip strain this season, and he will be visiting a specialist on Monday to determine the extent of the problem. Fletcher received cortisone shots during his first IL stint, and while the problem “hasn’t really gotten worse, it just wasn’t as good as we thought the injection would make it,” he told reporters, including Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times.  

A next step won’t be known until Fletcher’s doctor visit, and it is possible surgery might be required. Fletcher is hopeful that such a procedure wouldn’t put his season in jeopardy, as “hopefully I’ll get it fixed and be back pretty soon.”

The Angels have become pretty accustomed to playing without Fletcher thus far in 2022, though Matt Duffy’s ongoing presence on the COVID-related injured list will further complicate matters. Rengifo’s call-up will give the Angels an extra infielder to join Tyler Wade, Andrew Velazquez and Jack Mayfield in juggling the second base and shortstop duties.

While Anaheim may have enough offense in the rest of the lineup to get by with more of a defensive focus up the middle, it does make for an imperfect situation even if Fletcher is able to return. Fletcher hasn’t hit much in his limited playing time this season, and batted only .262/.297/.324 over 665 plate appearances in 2021.