What Happened To Yusei Kikuchi? A Deeper Look Into His Injury

Yusei Kikuchi came up to start the bottom of the third inning in a scoreless game. But after throwing just one warm-up pitch to catcher Travis D’Arnaud, he motioned to the coaching staff to inform them he was having an issue. The Angels’ trainer, along with manager Kurt Suzuki, came up and had a discussion with the southpaw pitcher on the mound.

Eventually, the Angels decided to pull Yusei Kikuchi out of the game. Left-hander Mitch Ferris, who just joined from Triple-A Salt Lake City after the team DFA’d Joey Luchessi, replaced the Japanese veteran.

Yusei Kikuchi Felt Tightness After Throwing Fastballs

Later, Yusei Kikuchi spoke with the media through his interpreter, Koki Goto, to share details on his injury. The lefty revealed he first encountered the issue during his previous start against the Kansas City Royals on Friday, although he only experienced it while throwing fastballs.

“I felt it today during the first inning when I threw a heater,” he said. “I felt it in the last start, just a little bit, when I threw heaters, too. So it was a similar thing, but today I felt it in my first inning.

“I feel tightness in my shoulder when I throw fastballs only. I felt like I could push through if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to take any chances at that moment, so I decided to step down. I’ll have to talk with the training staff and see how I feel tomorrow.”

Yusei Kikuchi is struggling with a 0-3 record and a 6.21 ERA this season. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Angels fell to a 2-3 extra innings loss on Wednesday to get swept by the Chicago White Sox. They are now on a six-game losing streak with 10 defeats in the last 11 games.