CLEVELAND — Taylor Ward said he’s finally getting past the injury that derailed his season.
The Angels outfielder has hit .391 with a 1.048 OPS over his previous seven games and .340 with a .900 OPS over his previous 15 games.
“I’m just feeling stronger,” Ward said. “I can definitely feel a difference in my workouts, throwing, hitting, everything seems to be stronger.”
Ward said about six weeks ago that his slump through the middle of the season was related to an injury he suffered when he crashed into the outfield fence on May 20. Ward suffered a stinger, which is an irritation of the nerve going from his neck through his shoulder.
Ward was hitting .370 with an 1.194 OPS at the time of the injury. While those numbers certainly weren’t sustainable, his drop shouldn’t have been as sharp as the .205 average and .601 OPS he produced from May 21 to Aug. 23.
Although Ward said the recent improvement is related to his strength, Manager Phil Nevin said he also believes it has something to do with Mike Trout returning to the Angels’ lineup. Trout came back on Aug. 19, just a few days before Ward’s hot streak started.
“I think he’s got some better surrounding parts around him,” Nevin said. “Maybe you put a little more pressure on somebody when other guys aren’t in the lineup. It’s just facts. It’s the way guys are pitched to, the way other guys are pitched to, I really think he’s in a good place right now.”
With three weeks to go in the season, Ward is hitting .265 with 18 homers and a .796 OPS. The major league average OPS out of right field is .709.
Whatever the reason for Ward’s recent improvement, he said it’s “very important” to him to finish on a high note after such a rollercoaster season.
He added that it’s given him plenty of ideas about what he needs to do over the winter.
“I definitely learned a lot this season and I’m gonna take a lot of stuff into the offseason,” he said. “Definitely trying to hit it harder, kind of develop that rotational strength. Get faster and stronger. Pretty much the goal every offseason.”
FLETCHER UPDATE
Infielder David Fletcher, who was hit in the right hand by a pitch on Saturday, was out of the lineup for the third straight day.
Fletcher said before the game that he still couldn’t grip a bat. He is able to play defense if needed, though, Nevin said.
At this point, the Angels still consider Fletcher day to day.
“It’s a bruise right now,” head athletic trainer Mike Frostad said. “It’s just a matter of what he can tolerate. We’ve ruled out a fracture with the X-ray we did the other day. It’s really going to be up to him as to whether or not he feels he can tolerate it, once we finish our treatments.”
NOTES
Frostad said third baseman Anthony Rendon’s first day of taking batting practice on the field went well. “We expected the results that we got,” Frostad said. “He’s doing well today.” Rendon, who had wrist surgery in June, was believed to be out for the season, but he’s trying to make it back by the end of the season. That would allow him to get some “peace of mind,” he said, for a normal winter. It would also allow him to serve his five-game suspension this year instead of next year. He was suspended after the Angels’ brawl against the Seattle Mariners in June. …
Matt Thaiss was behind the plate on Tuesday for his sixth start in 17 games. “The bottom line is we want to see Matty catch,” Nevin said. “We want to see him get game reps and work with these pitchers and see where we’re at going into next spring.”
UP NEXT
Angels (LHP Patrick Sandoval, 5-9, 2.98) at Guardians (TBD), Wednesday, 10:10 a.m.
