GM looking for consistency from red-hot prospect Adell

ANAHEIM » Jo Adell appeared in 38 games for the Angels during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and batted .161. He struck out 55 times and collected just 20 hits. For a player who consistently ranked among the top six prospects in baseball, it was an underwhelming debut.

Adell reported to spring training in February, showed well at the plate against Cactus League pitching, then was optioned to the Angels’ alternate site to begin the new season. The timing of his next promotion figured to be a matter of “when,” not “if.”

Flash forward to this week. Six of Adell’s last eight hits with Triple-A Salt Lake prior to Tuesday were home runs, and all of them came in a five-game span. Yet for Angels general manager Perry Minasian, one week is not enough to establish the two-way consistency required to promote Adell.

“There’s two sides to the ball,” Minasian said. “There’s offense and defense. Jo’s made great strides. He’s on the right track. He’s someone we feel has a really bright future. From my end, when we call him up, we want to feel that he’s going to take this job and be here, not a back-and-forth type shuttle from Triple-A to the major leagues. He’s definitely on the radar.

“He’s been very consistent at the plate over the last week after a rough patch early in the season,” Minasian continued. “Overall, he’s definitely on the right track with what he’s done over the last week.”

Through Monday, Adell is batting .270 with a .333 on-base percentage and .730 slugging percentage with the Bees. He’s committed one error in 14 chances in left field, and no errors in right field with one assist. Adell has yet to play an inning in center field this season.

The outfield is a pressing need for the Angels at the moment. Juan Lagares has been the everyday center fielder with Mike Trout facing a 6-to-8 week rehabilitation from his Grade 2 calf strain. Opening Day right fielder Dexter Fowler suffered a season-ending knee injury in April. Since Jared Walsh moved to first base full-time, right field has been a timeshare between utility players Taylor Ward and Jose Rojas.

During his first cup of coffee with the Angels, Adell was charged with three errors in 77 chances in the outfield — including one in right field that resulted in a home run.

“There were some things we talked with him about at the end of spring training,” Minasian said. “He’s making some strides. He’s not there yet. He’s been productive defensively but there are smaller things. There’s room for improvement.”

Injury updates

Pitcher Chris Rodriguez threw an up-down bullpen session Tuesday, throwing two sets of 15 pitches for a total of 30, and reported feeling well afterward.

Rodriguez could be activated by week’s end, manager Joe Maddon said. The right-hander hasn’t pitched since May 5 because of right shoulder inflammation.

Maddon said the Angels have a target rehab date for Max Stassi, who is sidelined by a concussion. The catcher could potentially return by the middle of next week, Maddon said.

Minasian said outfield prospect Jordyn Adams has had “a little lower leg issue” that has prevented him from playing for the advanced Single-A Tri-City Dust Devils since May 6.

Also

Minasian said he had no update on the season-long investigation into suspended pitching coach Mickey Callaway. … Interim bullpen coach Dom Chiti served as the Angels’ pitching coach Tuesday while interim pitching coach Matt Wise attended his daughter’s graduation . ... Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen after Rodriguez completed his up-and-down session. Afterward, the Angels announced Ohtani will start the opener of their fourgame series in Oakland on Thursday. … According to the Angels, infielder Phil Gosselin earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Virginia this week. … Maddon said he only had one conversation with Jon Jay before the veteran outfielder left the Angels to join Team USA in its bid to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. “He actually came to me about it, told me how interested he was in doing it,” Maddon said. “I hadn’t even thought about it to that point, honestly. I texted (Team USA manager Mike Scioscia) quickly and let him know Jon Jay was interested. That’s the last conversation we had about it.”