The Angels placed starter Matt Harvey on the 10-day injured list with an upper back strain, the team revealed Saturday. In a series of roster moves, they also recalled Taylor Cole from Triple-A Salt Lake, optioned Luke Bard to Triple-A, and reinstated Luís Garcia from the 10-day IL (lumbar spine strain spasm).
While the severity of Harvey’s injury was not disclosed, there’s no question the right-hander has had a rough go of it this season. He’s struggled to pitch beyond the fifth inning in seven of 10 starts and all but imploded in his outing against the Twins on Thursday, during which he allowed a season-worst eight runs -- including a career-high four home runs -- over just 2 2/3 innings.
Shortly after Thursday’s debacle, club manager Brad Ausmus told reporters there had been no conversation about removing Harvey from his spot in the rotation, but that no longer appears to be the case. Per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Ausmus said Harvey contracted the back pain during his start and “kept [the] injury to himself.” It’s not clear how long he’ll be sidelined.
In the interim, however, the Angels will fill out their rotation with left-hander Andrew Heaney. Heaney, 27, was activated from the 10-day IL on Friday after dealing with a bout of inflammation in his left elbow. He’ll take the mound against the Rangers during Sunday’s series finale at 4:07 PM EDT.