Tyler Skaggs‘ return to the Los Angeles Angels‘ rotation for a makeup game against the Royals on Monday was only the start of what manager Mike Scioscia hopes is a wave of positive news.

The ailing Angels [url=http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-nick-nelson-jersey]http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-nick-nelson-jersey[/url] , who were in Kansas City to make up a game frozen out on April 15, have seen just about everybody experience some kind of injury this season. They’ve ranged from the typical nicks and bumps to the strained elbow ligament that has Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani on the shelf.

The Angels had 15 players on the disabled list just over a week ago, the first time they’ve had that many since the stat began being tracked in 1987, and still had a dozen there when they flew into Kansas City.

Skaggs was the latest to rejoin the fold after being scratched from last week’s start with tightness in his hamstring. When asked who’s next, Scioscia deadpanned: ”We’re not going to handicap it.”

But, the skipper added, ”We have a whole team back in Southern California that works out every day.”

Skaggs is among the 27 pitchers who have played for the Angels this season, the most in team history through 78 games. He also is among the 48 players who have appeared this season, which means Los Angeles needs to suit up just eight more to break a club record set last year.

Right-hander Garrett Richards‘ workouts took a step forward Monday when he threw a bullpen session off the mound. Richards has been out 10 days with a left hamstring strain, but Scioscia cautioned that his session was ”more of a touch and feel” than bearing down in anticipation of a start.

”This is really just getting on there, seeing how it feels, and obviously we’ll have to progress from there before he’s back in there,” Scioscia said. ”How quickly it comes, we’re not sure.”

Roughly the same prognosis was given for infielder Zack Cozart. He just began to get into ”baseball activities,” Scioscia said, but he’s still in the evaluation phase as he returns from a shoulder injury.

There was no real update on his two biggest stars: Ohtani and outfielder Mike Trout.

Ohtani will be evaluated Thursday, three weeks after he received stem cell and platelet-rich plasma therapy. The Angels hope his elbow will have showed significant enough improvement that he can avoid Tommy John surgery, which would shelve Ohtani as a pitcher for at least a year and possibly two seasons.

What makes Ohtani’s situation unusual [url=http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-johnny-townsend-jersey]http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-johnny-townsend-jersey[/url] , though, is his ability to hit. The Angels could use his bat in the lineup even if he’s not hitting, and that creates question marks about how to move forward.

”We anticipate, if everything goes well on Thursday, he’ll swing the bat before he’s pitching,” Scioscia acknowledged. ”So, we’ll wait until our evaluation on Thursday and we’ll see.”

Trout has avoided the disabled list as he recovers from a sprained right index finger, but he was relegated to designated hitter on Monday for the sixth straight game. The hope was that Trout could test his hand in center field after about a week, which means it could happen any day.

”We’ll wait and see what the medical staff decides as to when he can go out and throw, and progress out to play centerfield,” Scioscia said. ”He’s not going to play centerfield tomorrow. It’s going to take – we’ll see how it progresses when he starts to throw.”

Indeed, there’s a lot of wait-and-see in Scioscia’s world these days.

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A look at what’s happening around the majors Tuesday:

VERLANDER DAY

Houston tries for its 13th straight win with AL ERA leader Justin Verlander on the mound against Tampa Bay. The Astros‘ ace is 9-2 with a 1.61 ERA, though he’s posted a 3.79 ERA over his past three starts and matched a season high with two homers allowed last time out in a 7-3 win over Oakland. Rays lefty Blake Snell (8-4, 2.58) will try to slow down Houston after the Astros beat Tampa Bay 5-4 on Alex Bregman’s game-ending two-run double Monday.

ON THE MEND

The defending NL champions are beginning to get healthier. Rich Hill comes off the DL to start for the Dodgers in the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Cubs in a rematch of last year’s NL Championship Series. Hill (1-2, 6.20 ERA) went on the disabled list May 20 with a blister on his left middle finger, a recurring problem for the veteran left-hander. He will be opposed by fellow lefty Mike Montgomery (2-2, 3.31), who is 2-1 with a 1.14 ERA in four starts since moving into the rotation after Yu Darvish was sidelined by right triceps tendinitis.

Hill’s return comes one day after Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw threw a three-inning simulated game at Wrigley Field [url=http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-switzer-jersey]http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-switzer-jersey[/url] , taking another step forward in his recovery from a strained lower back. The three-time Cy Young Award winner said he felt really good and plans to pitch somewhere in four or five days, either in a minor league rehab start or for the Dodgers. Veteran second baseman Chase Utley, sidelined by sprained left thumb, is expected to come off the DL with Hill. And rookie right-hander Walker Buehler, one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, is scheduled for a bullpen session Saturday in New York, continuing his comeback from a right rib microfracture.

MEASURING STICK

One of baseball’s biggest surprises, the Seattle Mariners (46-26) embark on a 10-game road trip to the East Coast that should serve as a tough test. They open with three games against the New York Yankees followed by three in Boston – the top two teams in the majors. Marco Gonzales (7-3, 3.42 ERA) attempts to win his fifth straight decision when he pitches against Yankees rookie Domingo German (1-4, 5.23), who is coming off his first major league win.

TIME TRAVELER

Juan Soto’s feats are piling up. The latest from the 19-year-old rookie sensation: homering in a game played before he made his major league debut. Soto hit a tiebreaking, pinch-hit, two-run shot in the sixth inning of a game that began and was suspended because of rain last month, five days before Soto was called up from the minors for the first time. Soto’s sixth homer in 24 games lifted the Nationals over the Yankees 5-3. Washington is set to open a home series against Baltimore. The team will be joined this week by reliever Kelvin Herrera, who was acquired from Kansas City for three minor leaguers Monday.

BAEZ BACK?

Javier Baez may return to the Cubs’ starting lineup two days after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch. Baez was out of the lineup before Monday’s game against the Dodgers was postponed and said the elbow was still swollen, but the team decided no X-rays were needed. Baez leads Chicago with 14 home runs. The teams will play a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley after Monday’s game was delayed due to rain and a limited power outage.

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