Angels' Robert Stephenson Declines to Say How He's Feeling as Injury Concern Grows

Stephenson signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Angels before the 2024 season, but missed its entirety after he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his UCL. He returned to the Angels May 28, but left his second outing before recording an out.

“The last couple pitches out in the bullpen started grabbing on me and then I went out to the game mound and was hoping it would kind of go away and it just kind of kept getting worse each pitch,” Stephenson said to the Orange County Register after the outing. “The velo dropped a little bit too. It’s pretty uncomfortable. I felt like, probably a good time to stop throwing.”

The right-hander said the issue was not related to his UCL Saturday, and that the rest of his arm felt good. He said the issue was in his bicep.

In his first appearance back with the Halos, Stephenson retired the side, striking out two.

The Angels signed Stephenson after a successful end to the 2023 season with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he posted a 3-1 record and 2.35 ERA. His 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings led the team, and his 0.678 WHIP was the lowest among Rays pitchers with more than 20 innings pitched. He struck out 60 batters in 38.1 innings, and had an ERA+ of 180.

Stephenson made five rehab appearances in the Angels organization ahead of his return. He made two apperances for Single-A Inland Empire, allowing one run in two innings of work while also fanning two. He then made three appearances for Triple-A Salt Lake, also allowing just one run.

The Angels have lost both games since Stephenson's exit, the first of which the bullpen dropped. The Angels will hope for a quick turnaround for the 32-year-old in order to bring more stability to an inconsistent bullpen.

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