Angels' Taylor Ward: Belts sixth homer vs. Pirates
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Ward went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's loss to Pittsburgh.
Ward continued to supply power for the Angels on Tuesday, belting his sixth big fly already this year in the third inning to get Los Angeles on the board. While the 31-year-old outfielder is batting just .220 with only five walks over his first 91 at-bats of the campaign, he's now up to 10 extra-base hits, nine RBI and 12 runs scored across 22 outings. Ward won't have much RBI upside out of the leadoff spot, but he should be a decent source of runs while Mike Trout is healthy.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Extends power surge
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Ward went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a loss to the Astros on Sunday.
Ward led off the game with a solo shot to left field, though he struck out in three of his remaining four at-bats. The veteran outfielder has gone deep in four of his past five games, slugging five long balls during that stretch. The power surge has boosted Ward's OPS from a paltry .437 to a much more viable .759.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Remains hot Saturday
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Ward went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 4-1 win against Houston.
Ward went deep to right field in the fifth inning for the Angels' final run of the contest. The outfielder has slugged four long balls in his past four games after beginning the campaign with no homers over his first 10 contests. During the power surge, Ward is batting .353 with five RBI.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Adds two more homers
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Ward went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three total RBI in Thursday's 11-1 win over Tampa Bay.
Ward led off the game with an opposite-field homer off Zack Littell before extending the lead to 5-1 with a two-run blast in the fifth. Ward now has three home runs in his last two games after going 10 contests without a long ball to begin the year. The 31-year-old outfielder is batting .235 with a .704 OPS, six RBI and six runs scored through 25 plate appearances this season.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Belts first homer of 2025
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Ward went 1-for-4 with one walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Rays.
Ward managed to hit his first home run of the 2025 campaign when he took Ryan Pepiot deep for a 349-foot long ball to right field to reduce the Angels' deficit to two runs. Ward has started the season slashing .196/.240/.283 with three walks, four runs, one home run and three RBI across 50 plate appearances.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Hits first spring homer
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Ward went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Sunday in an exhibition loss to the Dodgers.
Ward accounted for the Angels' only run of the game with his 399-foot solo shot to center field in the third inning. The veteran outfielder has gone deep just one time this spring, but he's hit well with a .275/.370/.425 slash line over 46 plate appearances. Ward batted leadoff Sunday, and it appears he'll open the campaign in that position in the batting order after primarily hitting third last season.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Starting Thursday
Rotowire
Ward (knee) will serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff in Thursday's Cactus League game versus the Mariners.
Knee soreness has prevented Ward from playing since Monday, though the 31-year-old said it's something he would have been playing through if it were the regular season. He now seems to be back to 100 percent and will look to continue what has been a solid start to spring training.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Expected back soon
Rotowire
Ward is unconcerned about the knee soreness that kept him out of Monday's Cactus League game against the Rockies and said Tuesday that he expects to be back in game action soon, Jack Janes of TheSportingTribune.com reports.
Ward added that he would have played Monday had it been a regular-season contest. He is out of the lineup again Tuesday versus the Guardians, but his return to game action appears imminent.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Day-to-day with knee soreness
Rotowire
Ward is dealing with some knee soreness and is considered day-to-day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The injury helps explain why he hasn't played in a Cactus League game since Friday. Given the day-to-day designation, Ward should be fine, barring any setbacks. He's projected as the Angels' everyday left fielder and likely leadoff hitter this season.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Will be among top three in lineup
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Angels manager Ron Washington said Friday that he envisions Ward, Mike Trout (knee) and Jorge Soler being his first three hitters in the lineup in some order, Sam Blum of The Athleticreports.
Ward was the team's leadoff hitter for most of the final two months of last season, so he would seem likely to occupy that spot again, although Soler also batted leadoff some last year with the Giants and Atlanta. Washington did add a caveat that one of Ward, Trout or Soler could bat cleanup, so he hasn't written anything down in ink yet. Zach Neto (shoulder) is expected to begin the season on the injured list but will bat fifth or sixth upon his return, per Washington.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Clubs 25th homer
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Ward went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to Houston.
Ward accounted for the Angels' only run with his 416-foot solo shot to lead off the game. The long ball was his 25th of the campaign -- the first time he has reached that mark as a big leaguer. Ward's leadoff homer Thursday was his fifth in his past 19 games. According to Angels Senior Communications Manager Matt Birch, the outfielder is the first player to have at least five leadoff home runs in a season for the team since Mike Trout in 2012.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Hits career-best 24th homer
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Ward went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Astros.
A late surge has seen Ward slug seven homers over his last 15 games to give himself a career-best 24 long balls this season. He's hit safely in 10 of 13 games in September, going 15-for-46 (.326) in that span. The outfielder is up to a .246/.321/.437 slash line with 68 RBI, 70 runs scored, four stolen bases and 26 doubles over 143 contests this season, and he's regularly hit leadoff over the last month.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Matches career high in homers
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Ward went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Twins.
Ward led off the game with a homer, his sixth in his last 12 games. In that span, he's gone 16-for-46 (.348) with eight RBI and 12 runs scored. The outfielder has matched his career high in homers (23) from the 2022 season, though his .758 OPS this year is a far cry from the .833 mark he posted in that campaign. Ward has added 67 RBI, 67 runs scored, four stolen bases, 26 doubles and two triples over 140 contests in 2024.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Homers again Saturday
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Ward went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Rangers.
Ward led off the game with a homer against Jack Leiter to give the Angels an early lead. The long ball was his fifth over his past eight games, a span in which he's batting .313 (10-for-32) with seven extra-base hits, six RBI and eight runs. Ward is up to 22 home runs on the season, one shy of the career-high mark he set in 2022.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Stays red hot
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Ward went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional RBI, an additional run scored and a walk in Wednesday's 10-1 win over the Dodgers.
Ward was the only Angel with multiple hits in the blowout win. He also homered for a third straight game, including both contests in this series versus the Dodgers. The outfielder's recent power surge has him up to 21 homers, 64 RBI and a .244/.315/.429 slash line over 133 contests. He's two homers shy of matching his career high from 2022 and continues to thrive in the leadoff role.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Productive in win
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Ward went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and a second run scored in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.
Ward homered while leading off the bottom of the first inning for the second time in three games. He was also on base in the fifth when Anthony Rendon hit a two-run double that ended up being the difference in the contest. This was Ward's second multi-hit effort during his 12-game hitting streak, a span in which he's gone 14-for-47 (.298). The outfielder is up to 19 homers, 61 RBI, 58 runs scored, four stolen bases, 25 doubles and a .240/.311/.415 slash line through 131 contests overall.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Swats solo shot
Rotowire
Ward went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-5 loss to the Mariners.
The Angels were already behind 5-0 by the time Ward came to bat to lead off the bottom of the first inning. He started a decent comeback effort with his solo shot, but he went hitless in his last four at-bats of the game. The outfielder is hitting .282 (11-for-39) during a 10-game hitting streak, which has him up to a .238/.310/.406 slash line for the year. Ward has added 18 homers, 60 RBI, 56 runs scored, 23 doubles, two triples and four stolen bases over 129 contests.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Homers in loss
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Ward went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays.
Ward provided the only offense for the Angels, ending Bowden Francis' no-hit bid with his first home run since July 28. The 30-year-old has hit safely in eight of 10 contests with three multi-hit efforts, though he hasn't contributed much else over that span. On the season, he is hitting .237 with 17 homers, 58 RBI and 53 runs scored across 524 plate appearances.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Moves to paternity list
Rotowire
The Angels placed Ward on the paternity list Tuesday.
Ward will step away from the team for a few days in order to be with his growing family. The 30-year-old should be back with the Angels for Friday's series opener at Washington.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Slugs grand slam Sunday
Rotowire
Ward went 2-for-5 with a grand slam in an 8-6 win against Oakland on Sunday.
Ward turned the tide of the contest in the fourth inning, belting a grand slam that turned a Los Angeles three-run deficit into a one-run lead. It was the outfielder's second homer in his past three contests following a 24-game stretch without a long ball. Ward has run hot and cold this season, and he's slashing .227/.309/.401 with 16 home runs, 51 RBI, 47 runs and three stolen bases through 433 plate appearances overall.
