ANAHEIM — The Angels didn’t even need an MRI exam to decide that Victor Mederos needed to go on the injured list.
A day after Mederos acknowledged that he “felt something” while pitching, he said it was a pain in his shoulder, and still bothered him on Sunday.
The Angels placed Mederos on the 15-day injured list, which opens up the No. 5 spot in the rotation again. Mederos said will undergo an MRI.
The Angels also placed right-hander Carson Fulmer on the injured list with elbow inflammation. Fulmer, who came out of Saturday’s after complaining of discomfort in his elbow, was undergoing tests on Sunday morning.
“I just want to be healthy,” Mederos said on Sunday. “I want to be out there. I want to be competing. Just want to be able to feel good and go out there and give a chance for the team to win. It just sucks. I’ve felt great this whole entire season. I’ve been really focused on what I want to accomplish, and it’s just a minor setback. Just having trust in God that everything’s going to be all right.”
Mederos, 24, went into the rotation after Jack Kochanowicz struggled and was sent to Triple-A. Mederos made three starts, posting an 8.31 ERA. Including his previous two relief appearances, his ERA was 7.41.
Mederos changed his arm angle this season, which significantly raised his prospect status and earned him this rotation opportunity. He had been seemingly getting better with each outing, including two clean innings to begin Saturday’s game.
Mederos gave up a two-run homer in the third, and when he took the mound in the fourth, he felt “stiff,” he said.
He walked two batters and hit one, and his velocity dropped from around 95 mph to around 92 mph with his fastball. Mederos insisted on Sunday that it was only stiffness, and not pain, until he threw a sweeper to No. 9 hitter Reese McGuire with the bases loaded.
“I just felt something in the front of my shoulder,” Mederos said. “It just didn’t feel great.”
Mederos came back with a 95 mph fastball. The velocity was fine, but the location wasn’t. McGuire hit a grand slam.
Six pitches later, Mederos was out of the inning, and he didn’t return for the fifth.
“I just felt like I needed to finish that inning,” Mederos said. “I felt like after that the adrenaline picked up. After I gave up the homer, I’m like I gotta finish the inning. I can’t just come out of here. I didn’t want to embarrass anyone. I just wanted to go about my business and try to finish.”
The Angels now have an opening in the rotation. They have an off day on Thursday, so they still haven’t decided in which game after that they will use the No. 5 starter.
Interim manager Ray Montgomery said they haven’t decided who will get the opportunity yet.
“Some of the guys that have been here I’m sure we’ll be in consideration,” Montgomery said.
Right-hander Caden Dana would seem to be one of the top choices, based on his last start at Triple-A. Dana gave up one run in seven innings, with 13 strikeouts, on Friday. He has a 3.18 ERA in his last three Triple-A starts.
Left-hander Sam Aldegheri was scheduled to pitch on Sunday at Double-A. He has a 2.52 ERA in his six starts.
Left-hander Reid Detmers, who has been successful in the Angels’ bullpen, is not a candidate to start, Montgomery said. While issuing the disclaimer that he’s not the only one in the organization to make these decisions, he said he’s not anticipating Detmers starting at all this season.
“He’s been great doing what he’s doing,” Montgomery said. “To ask a guy to put that kind of innings/workload on him at this time, I don’t think that makes any sense.”
The roster spots vacated by Fulmer and Mederos were filled by right-hander Chase Silseth and right-hander José Soriano. Soriano had been away for four days for the birth of his son in the Dominican Republic. He was on the paternity list for the maximum three days and the restricted list for the extra day.
Soriano said though an interpreter that he has been “active with my arm,” since his previous outing, so he’s ready to pitch on Monday in Texas.
“I’m more excited than tired,” Soriano said. “I’ll be ready for tomorrow. The happiness right now is amazing.”
NOTES
First baseman Nolan Schanuel was not in the lineup on Sunday, because of left wrist soreness. Schanuel was out for more tests. He said on Saturday night that his wrist has been bothering him for about a week. He aggravated it diving to try to stop a ball down the line. …
Montgomery was thankful for the job that infielder Oswald Peraza did in pitching two scoreless innings at the end of Saturday’s 12-1 loss. “He did a nice job,” Montgomery said. “Those are not easy things to do when you ask players to do it.”
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP José Soriano, 8-9, 4.00) at Rangers (RHP Jacob deGrom, 10-5, 2.76), Monday, 5:05 p.m. PT, FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM