Yusei Kikuchi (shoulder) set for rehab assignment

The 35-year-old southpaw struck out eight batters in the contest while issuing a pair of walks. Seven of those eight runs came during the first inning, after which he settled in nicely. He threw 80 pitches (56 strikes) in the ballgame, so physically he’s probably ready to rejoin the Angels’ rotation over the weekend unless they want to see him have success in a minor league setting first.

Dodgers prospect James Tibbs III homered for one of the six hits off Kikuchi. He got up to 69 pitches tonight. opening up the possibility that he could rejoin the Angels rotation next weekend. He has been out since Apr. 30 with shoulder inflammation.

Kikuchi struck out four but walked five and threw 30 of his 57 pitches for strikes. His four-seamer touched 96.5 mph but was mainly around 94 mph, which is not far off from what we see when he’s 100 percent. The command was obviously rusty in this one, and we’d expect him to make at least two more rehab starts with the Angels having no incentive to rush him back to the big leagues this season.

Kikuchi should be ready to head out on a minor league rehab assignment fairly soon. The 35-year-old southpaw has been working his way back from shoulder inflammation that sent him to the injured list back in early May. He opted for the rest-and-rehabilitation route instead of season-ending surgery. There’s a chance he’s back at some point in mid-to-late August.

Kikuchi’s bullpen session was the first since he was shut down with his shoulder injury. The left-hander will assuredly need to complete a few more sessions — and then at least a pair of rehab starts — before he could be an option for the Angels’ rotation later in the second half of the season.

Nothing has changed in the prognosis for the 34-year-old hurler, this was done as a procedural move on Friday to free up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster for the promotion of Wade Meckler and Donovan Walton. Kikuchi is dealing with inflammation in his pitching shoulder and has been shut down through the end of May before he starts to build back up again.

Suzuki added that Kikuchi has opted for the rest and rehabilitation route instead of undergoing shoulder surgery, which likely would’ve been season-ending. The 34-year-old southpaw, who hit the injured list with shoulder inflammation over the weekend, will need to build up his stamina and workload from the ground floor once he’s cleared to resume throwing in a couple weeks. It’s relatively safe to assume he won’t return until sometime around the All-Star break in July. It’ll be Sam Aldegheri getting the first opportunity to replace Kikuchi in Los Angeles’ rotation when he takes the ball against the White Sox on Tuesday night.

DiGiovanna covered the Angels for decades when he was working with The Times, so it would make sense for him to still have sources connected to the organization. A multiple-month absence for shoulder inflammation is also not an unrealistic outcome, so much of this makes sense. The Angels have not yet confirmed any timeline for Kikuchi, but if he were to miss an extended period of time, Caden Dana would figure to get a chance to stick in the rotation until Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) or Alek Manoah (finger) make their season debut.

The Angels are still reviewing the results of Kikuchi’s recent MRI exam, so there’s no word yet or how long the 34-year-old left-hander is expected to be sidelined for. The fact that he has already been placed on the injured list doesn’t bode well though. Tayler Saucedo was promoted from Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move on Sunday.

Kikuchi was sent for imaging after being pulled from Wednesday’s start in the third inning due to soreness in his shoulder. They should know the results in the next day or so, after which they can make a determination on Kikuchi’s status. It looks increasingly likely that he’ll require a trip to the injured list.