Skaggs on track for Tuesday start
HOUSTON — Tyler Skaggs is in line to start Tuesday for the Angels at Kansas City, if a weekend bullpen session with triple-A Salt Lake goes as hoped. The 25-year-old left-hander would be returning to the majors nearly two years to the day that he tore his ulnar collateral ligament.
After suffering multiple setbacks from Tommy John surgery this year, Skaggs has dominated the opposition in his recent minor league starts.
The Angels have fielded calls expressing interest in him, but they have told teams they are not inclined to trade him, according to league executives.
Because he has stayed in the minors longer than had been expected, Skaggs will not gain “Super Two” status and be eligible for salary arbitration. Had he reentered the majors earlier this month, Skaggs would have been in line for an extra year of arbitration beginning next season. The distinction can be worth $5 million to $10 million over a player’s years of team control.
Bandy the starter
Rookie catcher Jett Bandy has started six consecutive games for the Angels. He opened the season as the No. 3 catcher on the team’s depth chart, but the No. 1, Carlos Perez, is relegated to the minors after poor first-half hitting, and Geovany Soto, the No. 2, is again on the disabled list.
The other option now is journeyman Juan Graterol. Through nearly 100 plate appearances, Bandy is carrying an above-average OPS, but Manager Mike Scioscia has repeatedly praised his other work. “You’re seeing a young catcher that’s becoming more and more comfortable with the defensive side in the major leagues,” Scioscia said Friday.
Bandy, 26, received his first name at birth when his parents combined the names of his father, John, and his grandfather, Chett.
Short hops
Right-hander Nick Tropeano will visit Dr. David Altchek, the Mets medical director, on Monday in New York to garner a second opinion on the state of his elbow. An MRI exam taken Tuesday indicated Tropeano tore the ulnar collateral ligament and will need to undergo surgery. …Garrett Richards remains on track to have his right elbow reexamined Aug. 8. He underwent stem-cell therapy to treat his UCL tear in May.