Angels’ Robert Stephenson says he had no issues with elbow before fateful pitch

ANAHEIM — Robert Stephenson said his elbow felt “perfectly fine,” up until the moment that it didn’t.

It was the second pitch of his rehab outing on April 13. The Angels reliever threw a slider and he could tell something was wrong.

“It just came out weird,” Stephenson said on Tuesday, the first time he’d spoken to the media since the injury. “I just felt it right when I threw it. I tried to throw a couple more pitches after that, but just something felt wrong. I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it ended up.”

It ended up with Stephenson needing Tommy John surgery. He said he’ll have the surgery on April 30. Stephenson said he will also have the internal brace, which is a relatively new supplement to the traditional Tommy John surgery.

The brace, which is a piece of surgical tape that gives extra support to the reconstructed ulnar collateral ligament, does not change the recovery time frame, Stephenson said.

“It’s about a year, up to 15, maybe 18 months,” Stephenson said. “Being a reliever obviously helps, but I’m not sure.”

Stephenson said he was disappointed to have his Angels career stalled before he’d thrown a single pitch in a game. He missed all of spring training with a shoulder injury, which he said he didn’t think was that serious of an injury. He said there was no indication that anything was wrong with his elbow throughout the process.

The Angels signed Stephenson, 31, to a three-year, $33 million deal in January. He earned that contract by being one of the best relievers in baseball after changing the way he used his slider when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays last summer. Stephenson had a 2.35 ERA with 60 strikeouts and eight walks in 38⅓ innings with the Rays.

Stephenson would have begun the season as the primary setup man to closer Carlos Estévez, and the most likely replacement for Estévez if he got hurt or struggled.

Now, the Angels won’t see Stephenson until sometime next season, and perhaps not until 2026.

The injury will trigger a clause in Stephenson’s contract allowing the Angels to have an option to bring him back in 2027 for $2.5 million.

TROUT AT THE TOP

On the heels of a five-game losing streak in which run-production has been the primary problem, Manager Ron Washington juggled his lineup by moving Mike Trout to the leadoff spot.

Trout hit leadoff often during his rookie year in 2012, but hardly at all since. His last game in the No. 1 spot was in 2020.

“Just trying to shake things up,” Washington said before Tuesday’s game. “Just trying to see if I can get some different cohesiveness with my lineup. From what I understand, he did it before so it’s not foreign to him. Shoot, if we could put him there and get a run in the first inning, I’m all for that. But I’m just trying to try things and see what works, what I can stick with.”

Washington said he asked Trout about the switch.

“His comment was the same as always: ‘Whatever you want, Skip,’” Washington said.

NOTES

Washington said on Tuesday he still hadn’t received the final opinion on third baseman Anthony Rendon’s evaluation. Rendon, who is out with a hamstring strain, went for further testing on Monday. …

Washington has been encouraged that first baseman Nolan Schanuel is getting his swing back. Schanuel’s average dropped to .093 before a five-game hitting streak, which he carried into Tuesday’s game. Schanuel was 8 for 19 (.421) during the five games, making him just about the only player hitting well during the losing streak. “I think it’s more or less him getting back to who he is,” Washington said. “And it all started the night in Cincinnati when he got three hits, where he got two hits to the left side. That sort of opened him up a little bit, because that side of the field is his strength. And he wasn’t using it.”

UP NEXT

Orioles (RHP Dean Kremer, 0-2, 4.91 ERA) at Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 2-2, 1.42), Wednesday, 1:07 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM