The Los Angeles Angels are off to a mediocre start to the season as they are 6-8, but their pitching has been fine while their hitting has struggled, which nobody expected. Mike Trout and the rest of the Angels hitters are near the bottom of the MLB in runs scored so far, and that was supposed to be their strength coming into the season.
The pitching for the Angels was a big question mark, as they have Garrett Richards and a lot of unknowns after him. One of those unknowns is Andrew Heaney, who is a former top prospect that the Angels hoped would take a big step forward this season.
Heaney faced off against the Chicago Cubs in his first start this season and pitched OK but took the loss. After that start, Heaney complained of tightness in his left forearm and was placed on the disabled list by the Angels. The first thing you that think of nowadays when you hear forearm tightness is the UCL and potential Tommy John surgery, but Heaney underwent an MRI, which revealed no structural damage, as the ligament was "sound."
The official injury that the Angels announced for Heaney was a flexor muscle strain in his left arm, and GM Billy Eppler said that he is not worried about the issue becoming serious and all Heaney needs to do is rest. Because the injury isn't serious, the Angels gave him time off and tried to start ramping up his throwing again recently, but that did not go well.
Manager Mike Scioscia said that Heaney has "plateaued" in his rehab and that he is still feeling pain in his forearm when he tries to throw hard. Tthis would typically be a very ominous sign for a pitcher, but in this case, it may not be considering Heaney's injury is muscle related, not ligament related. For now, the Angels will likely just let him rest the arm more and hope that the pain will subside when he starts throwing again.
The former first round pick out of Oklahoma State is just 24 years old and figures to be a big part of the Angels rotation now and in the future. The good news is that this injury doesn't seem long-term. The bad news is that the Angels need him now considering their rotation is shaky at best. Nick Tropeano has filled in admirably in his two starts since taking Heaney's place (10.2 innings pitched, one earned run), but Heaney is the guy that has future ace potential, so Angels fans will have to hold their breath for a little longer.
