May 10--The Angels moved quickly to fill a void at shortstop Tuesday, acquiring triple-A infielder Brendan Ryan from the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later or cash.
Starting shortstop Andrelton Simmons suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb while making a backhand diving stop of a grounder on Sunday and will undergo surgery that will sideline him for at least two months.
Utility infielder Cliff Pennington is expected to get most of the starts at shortstop in Simmons' absence, but the right-handed-hitting Ryan, 34, gives the Angels a slick-fielding veteran who can back up the switch-hitting Pennington or split time with him.
Ryan, who will be activated for Tuesday night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Angel Stadium, has never been much of an offensive threat, with a .234 average, .295 on-base percentage and .315 slugging percentage in 879 games over nine big-league seasons.
But he has always been considered an above-average defensive player, and considering he cost the Angels virtually nothing to acquire, he should be an adequate stopgap until Simmons returns in late July or early August.
Ryan, who played with the Cardinals (2007-2010), Seattle Mariners (2011-2013) and New York Yankees (2013-2015), had a .263/.305/.382 slash line in 21 games for triple-A Syracuse this season. He played at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks.
Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna
