TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels right-hander Griffin Canning won't be ready for opening day after a setback in his recovery from a back injury.
Canning said Wednesday that the setback occurred a few weeks ago. The Orange County native and UCLA product was expected to be a strong candidate for the sixth spot in the Angels' rotation this spring.
“They basically said I reaggravated it,” Canning said. “I just have to take a couple of steps back in my rehab. ... I had progressed. I was up to 100%, fully cleared and everything, but it's part of it. I understand that. It's not always going to be a perfect recovery.”
Canning hopes to begin playing catch later this week, but he won’t throw off a mound for four weeks, general manager Perry Minasian said.
Canning went 5-4 with a 5.60 ERA last season before getting sent to the minors in early July. Soon afterward, the 2020 Gold Glove winner was declared out for the season with a stress fracture in his lower back.
Canning is among the few homegrown pitchers to make a significant impact in recent years on the Angels, who selected him in the second round in 2017. He reached the majors in early 2019, but missed part of his rookie season with elbow injuries.
The Angels' rotation will be headlined by AL MVP Shohei Ohtani and newcomer Noah Syndergaard. Patrick Sandoval, José Suarez and newcomer Michael Lorenzen also have spots locked down, but the sixth starter is likely to come from a mix including Jaime Barria and Reid Detmers.
The perpetually pitching-poor Angels haven't added significant mound talent since the conclusion of the lockout, although they acquired Syndergaard, Lorenzen and top reliever Aaron Loup before the lockout. Minasian said he doesn't feel extra urgency to find another starter after Canning's latest setback.
“There will always be a desire for more pitching,” Minasian said. “(The injury) takes somebody out of the mix that we felt like had a good chance of competing for that last rotation spot. We have a lot of other arms that we really like, but we're still on the hunt.”
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