Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe will undergo shoulder surgery after tearing the labrum in his left shoulder, according to J.P. Hoornstra. The expected recovery timetable from the operation, between four and six months, means that O'Hoppe may miss the remainder of the season.
O'Hoppe, 23, had his shoulder pop out of place twice on swings in the past week, including most recently on Thursday in a game against the New York Yankees. "The same thing happened in Boston, I felt a pop come out the back," he told MLB.com at the time. "I'll be reevaluated in the next couple days. The hardest part is that [I did] everything for the last year or so so this wouldn't happen. Just hoping it's nothing too serious."
O'Hoppe had been a bright spot for the Angels in the early going. In 16 games, he'd batted .283/.339/.547 (143 OPS+) with four home runs and 13 runs batted in. His contributions had been worth an estimated 0.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference's calculations. The Angels acquired O'Hoppe from the Philadelphia Phillies last summer in exchange for outfielder Brandon Marsh.
The Angels' usual backup, Max Stassi, has been sidelined since March with hip discomfort. That means Phil Nevin's club will now have to proceed with a catching tandem of Matt Thaiss and Chad Wallach. The Angels do have an interesting catching prospect, Edgar Quero, stationed in Double-A. He's only 20 years old, and he's played in just 10 games above the A-ball level -- a combination that suggests he won't be a factor this season. Still, general manager Perry Minasian has taken an aggressive approach toward pushing his prospects to the majors, so perhaps it's not totally out of the question that Quero could make it to the majors this season if the Angels remain in the hunt late.
The Angels entered Sunday with a 10-11 record on the young year, placing them in a tie for third place in the American League West. Los Angeles will complete a series against the Kansas City Royals before returning home to host the lowly Oakland Athletics for a four-game set.
