Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Nabs start in center field
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Velazquez is starting in center field for the Angels in Monday's Cactus League contest versus the Guardians, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Velazquez has played the outfield a decent amount in the minors, but his major-league experience is almost exclusively on the infield. However, the 28-year-old's best chance to be useful to the Angels is as a super utility player so he's going to see some action all over the field this spring.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Done with switch hitting
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Velazquez said Monday he will no longer switch hit and will instead exclusively bat right-handed, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Velazquez briefly dropped switch hitting last season before a season-ending knee injury, and he'll now hit exclusively right-handed going forward. The 28-year-old had a .540 OPS across 125 games last season, with similarly poor results against both types of pitcher. Velazquez isn't guaranteed a spot on the Halos' Opening Day roster, though his elite defense at shortstop and speed could make him a solid bench piece.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: In Sunday's lineup
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Velazquez (knee) is starting at shortstop and batting ninth in Sunday's spring game against the White Sox, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Velazquez underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in September but is ready for Cactus League action. The 28-year-old had a .540 OPS in 125 games last season and should serve as a reserve shortstop for the Angels in 2023.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Will return to switch hitting
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Velazquez (knee) said Sunday that he intends to return to switch hitting this season, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Velazquez dropped switch hitting for a portion of last season to focus on batting right-handed, but he doesn't intend to continue that trend in 2023. He wasn't very effective from either side of the plate in 2022, though he did fare far better as a righty, batting .238 from that side of the plate versus .168 as a lefty. In any case, Velazquez could see fewer opportunities this season with Anthony Rendon and David Fletcher back healthy and new additions Brandon Drury and Gio Urshela further clogging up spots in the infield.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Looking at normal offseason
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Velazquez is doing well after undergoing knee surgery Sept. 13, and he's expected to have a normal offseason, per MLB.com.
Velazquez tore the meniscus in his right knee during a game Sept. 13 and had surgery four days later. That went well according to Angels head athletic trainer Mike Frostad, and Velazquez should be able to have a normal offseason routine in preparation for spring training. The fifth-year pro impressed with his defense this year but slashed a meager .196/.236/.304 over 349 plate appearances, contributing nine home runs, 28 RBI and 17 stolen bases.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Shifts to 60-day IL
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Velazquez (knee) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Velazquez's move to the 60-day IL is simply procedural, as the Angels announced this week that the shortstop will be shut down for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn right meniscus. He underwent surgery Saturday, per Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times. He'll likely be ready for spring training in 2023, while Livan Soto was called up to provide additional depth in the Angels' infield.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Shut down with torn meniscus
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Velazquez was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right meniscus tear.
Velazquez sustained the injury in Tuesday's game against the Guardians and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season after receiving the diagnosis. The 28-year-old played in a career-high 125 games in 2022 and slashed .196/.236/.304 with nine homers, 37 runs, 28 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Velazquez will soon undergo surgery and is facing a recovery timetable of approximately 6-to-8 weeks, so he should be back to full strength for spring training.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Not in Wednesday's lineup
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Velazquez (knee) isn't starting Wednesday against the Guardians, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
Velazquez was removed from Tuesday's matchup against Cleveland due to a knee injury, and he'll be out of the lineup for the series finale. Whether he's available off the bench remains to be seen, but David Fletcher will start at shortstop and bat ninth.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Nursing knee issue
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Velazquez exited Tuesday's game against the Guardians with a knee injury, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
Velazquez suffered the injury while he fielded a groundball during the fourth inning and was replaced by a pinch hitter in the following frame. The 28-year-old should be considered day-to-day heading into Wednesday's series finale in Cleveland.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Exits with apparent injury
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Velazquez was removed from Tuesday's game at Cleveland with an apparent injury, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Velazquez singled in his lone at-bat before being replaced by a pinch hitter during the fifth inning, as he appeared to suffer an injury while he fielded a groundball in the previous frame. David Fletcher, who was out of Tuesday's lineup for a third straight game due to a bruised hand, has entered the game at shortstop for the Halos.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Logs 16th steal
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Velazquez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.
Velazquez's RBI came on a groundout in the second inning. He added a steal after his single in the sixth, which was his third theft in five games. The shortstop has now hit safely in consecutive games since he snapped an 0-for-18 skid that spanned eight contests. For the season, he owns a .194/.236/.296 slash line with 16 steals, eight home runs, 27 RBI and 36 runs scored through 341 plate appearances.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Returns to lineup
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Velazquez (undisclosed) is starting Wednesday against the Tigers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Velazquez was scratched from Tuesday's lineup but will start at shortstop and bat ninth a day later. Over his last four games, he's gone 0-for-9 with a run, a stolen base, a walk and four strikeouts.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Not starting Tuesday
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Velazquez was scratched from the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Velazquez was originally slated to start Tuesday at shortstop, but he was pulled in favor of Luis Rengifo, who will come in to play second base and bat fourth. David Fletcher will slide over to cover short.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Not in Friday's lineup
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Velazquez isn't starting Friday against the Astros, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Velazquez has gone 0-for-9 with six strikeouts over his last four matchups and will be held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. David Fletcher is starting at shortstop and leading off.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Day off Wednesday
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Velazquez isn't starting Wednesday against the Yankees, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Velazquez is getting a breather after he went 0-for-9 with six strikeouts over the last three games. David Fletcher will start at shortstop and lead off.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Homers in second straight game
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Velazquez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's victory over Toronto.
Velazquez provided the Angels' insurance run by homering in his second straight game off righty reliever Anthony Bass with two outs in the ninth. The shortstop has carried a hot bat in his last seven games with a .409 average and .727 slugging percentage in 22 at-bats; however, the 28-year-old has recorded only four RBI in 50 at-bats over his last 23 games.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Launches long ball Friday
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Velazquez went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored against Toronto in a 12-0 win Friday.
Velazquez hit the first of four homers by the Angels in the contest, swatting a two-run shot to right field in the third inning. He's racked up four multi-hit games over his past nine contests following a stretch of 24 straight games without such an effort. Velazquez is batting .440 over the aforementioned nine-game span, lifting his season average to .200.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Sits after three straight starts
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Velazquez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.
Interim manager Phil Nevin is clearing a spot in the lineup for Jose Rojas at third base Tuesday, so Velazquez will take a seat while Luis Rengifo handles the keystone and David Fletcher shifts to shortstop. Velazquez had manned shortstop for each of the past three contests, going 5-for-9 with a solo home run and a double.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Hits homer in loss
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Velazquez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Saturday in a loss to the Tigers.
Velazquez's second-inning solo shot gave the Angels a 2-0 lead, but the team scored only one more run the rest of the game. The homer was his first since June 28 -- a span of 35 games. Velazquez is slashing a paltry .184/.227/.277 this season, so he's a fantasy consideration only for those very desperate for steals, of which he has 13 in 14 attempts.
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Angels' Andrew Velazquez: Absent from Friday's lineup
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Velazquez isn't starting Friday against the Tigers, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Velazquez will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after he went 2-for-4 with a run, a stolen base and a strikeout Wednesday. David Fletcher is shifting to shortstop while Luis Rengifo (back) returns to the lineup at second base.
