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Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Robert Stephenson elaborated on the issue which caused him to exit Friday's game against the Cleveland Guardians just two games after returning from Tommy John surgery.
“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. “The velo dropped a little bit too. It’s pretty uncomfortable. I felt like, probably a good time to stop throwing.”
Stephenson signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Angels after the 2023 season, but only made his first appearance for the Halos May 28 after Tommy John surgery to repair his UCL kept him out for the 2024 season. Stephenson threw three pitches Friday before Reid Detmers relieved him and threw a scoreless inning, helping the Halos on their way to breaking a five-game losing streak.
“The good news is, it’s not anything UCL-related,” Stephenson said. “It’s nothing in my elbow. The rest of my arm feels good. It’s kind of in a weird spot. It’s in the middle of my bicep. … Everything checked out. When we did some tests on it, everything was strong, so hopefully nothing serious.”
The Angels signed Stephenson after the best stretch of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he posted a 2.35 ERA in 42 appearances while fanning 60 batters in 38.1 innings. In his first appearance with the Angels, the right-hander posted a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Stephenson is optimistic about his return, however, and is not scheduled for further testing on his bicep. He said he'll speak to reporters about the injury on Monday in Boston.
A cautious Stephenson made five rehab appearances leading up to his return to MLB, where he allowed two runs in five innings, both of which were home runs. He had five strikeouts during his rehab stint.
For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.
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