Angels catcher Max Stassi confident he can rebound at the plate

3 years ago 292

ANAHEIM — Max Stassi has travel acold capable successful his vocation that he’s assured helium tin bash it again.

Stassi roseate from beingness arsenic a vocation backup to being 1 of the amended hitting catchers successful the majors, truthful his dilatory decorativeness to this play doesn’t interest him.

“I’ve had a batch of failures and I’ve been capable to look astatine myself and marque adjustments going forward,” Stassi said. “Sometimes they amusement up. Sometimes they don’t. I’m gonna find a mode eventually.”

Stassi, 30, was 1 of the feel-good stories successful an different disappointing play for the Angels. After a breakthrough 2020 play successful which helium deed .278 with an .886 OPS and 7 location runs successful conscionable 31 games, Stassi got disconnected to different blistery commencement this season.

Although Stassi had 2 abstracted stints connected the injured database successful the archetypal half, helium inactive produced a .307 mean with a .919 OPS and 10 homers successful his archetypal 52 games. The large league mean OPS for a catcher is .696.

Since then, though, Stassi has deed .146 with a .477 OPS and 1 homer successful his past 29 games. His OPS for the play is inactive .757, adjacent aft the slump.

Manager Joe Maddon said helium sees Stassi’s plaything has changed slightly, truthful he’s not arsenic “direct to the ball” now.

Stassi reworked his plaything dramatically aft hitting .167 with a .446 OPS successful 2019, and it intelligibly made a difference. Now, helium said helium knows the keys to getting backmost there.

“It’s conscionable getting backmost to that foundation,” Stassi said. “I’ve changed up my drill enactment to hopefully hole immoderate of my flaws. But I consciousness similar the instauration is there. It’s conscionable getting it to amusement up consistently nighttime successful and nighttime out.”

Maddon besides suggested that fatigue could beryllium an contented for a catcher, particularly 1 who lone played 31 games past year, but Stassi doesn’t bargain that.

“Catching takes a toll connected you, but you inactive person to find a way,” Stassi said. “There’s different catchers who are hitting the past mates months. I don’t usage it arsenic an excuse. It’s conscionable portion of the job.”

Stassi is arbitration-eligible for 1 much season, and past owed to go a escaped cause aft the 2022 season.

PLAN FOR DETMERS

Left-hander Reid Detmers was activated from the COVID database and optioned to Triple-A connected Thursday.

Detmers is scheduled to transportation connected Monday oregon Tuesday for Triple-A Salt Lake, and the Angels volition past determine if helium volition transportation successful the majors adjacent play successful Seattle. The determination could hinge connected whether Shohei Ohtani is going to marque a last commencement connected the last time of the season.

“If the accidental presents itself astatine the precise extremity (to person Detmers transportation successful the majors), we’ll bash that,” Maddon said. “And if it doesn’t, we’re benignant of satisfied with what we see.”

Detmers, 22, was the Angels’ first-round draught prime successful 2020. He has made 4 major-league starts, allowing 15 earned runs successful 19 innings.

RAMOS GETS THE CALL

Right-hander AJ Ramos was called up from Triple-A, allowing the erstwhile All-Star person to instrumentality to the large leagues for the archetypal clip this season. Ramos had lone pitched 3 games since 2018.

From 2012-17, Ramos had a 2.88 ERA, pitching mostly with the Miami Marlins. He was an All-Star successful 2016, erstwhile helium recorded 40 saves.

The Angels signed Ramos to a insignificant league woody conscionable earlier the play started, and helium had a 5.26 ERA successful 52 innings astatine Triple-A.

OTHER MOVES

The Angels optioned left-hander Sam Selman and right-hander José Marte, which created spots for Ramos and right-hander James Hoyt, who returned to the majors.

In bid to make 40-man spots for Detmers and Ramos, the Angels moved Dylan Bundy and Justin Upton to the 60-day injured list. That officially ends the play for some players.