Angels' Jose Quijada: Continues progress toward return
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Quijada (elbow) is in Arizona to continue his throwing progression and could return by midseason, per MLB.com.
Quijada underwent Tommy John surgery last May, so he's now over 10 months into his recovery. The lefty hurler has been throwing from 60 feet as he takes incremental steps toward a return. If all goes well for Quijada, he could rejoin the Angels' bullpen around the beginning of July.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Throwing from 120 feet
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Quijada (elbow) plans to play catch from 120 feet Monday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Quijada continues to take incremental steps forward in his recovery from Tommy John surgery May 17, but the left-hander is opening the season on the 60-day injured list and is unlikely to be ready to make his 2024 debut until the summer.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Shifts to 60-day IL
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Quijada (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Sunday.
The left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last May and is poised to be sidelined for the first half of 2024, so his move to the 60-day IL is hardly a surprise. Quijada had a 3.98 ERA with three saves and 12 holds for the Angels in 2022 and could see some high-leverage chances once healthy.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Undergoes surgery
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Quijada (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow May 17, per MLB.com.
An MRI and multiple doctors' opinions in early May determined that Quijada needed the season-ending procedure. The lefty reliever is slated to miss about 12 months, so he could return around the middle of 2024. Quijada recorded four saves and five holds while posting a 6.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 10 appearances prior to going down with the injury.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Transferred to 60-day IL
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Quijada (elbow) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list by the Angels on Monday.
It's a procedural move that clears room on the 40-man roster, and the Angels needed it to selected the contract of Cesar Valdez on Monday. Quijada will miss the rest of the 2023 season after it was revealed that the left-hander will need to undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Will undergo Tommy John surgery
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Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters before Wednesday's game against the Cardinals that Quijada (elbow) will need Tommy John surgery, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Quijada sought a second opinion from doctors, and it appears that both groups recommended the reconstructive elbow surgery. The left-handed reliever will miss the rest of the 2023 campaign and he'll likely miss time to begin the 2024 season as well.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Ligament damage found in MRI
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Angels manager Phil Nevin said Tuesday that an MRI on Quijada's left elbow reviewed some ligament damage, but the southpaw will receive a second opinion before it will be determined whether he'll need to have surgery, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Registerreports.
Nevin called the first opinion that Quijada received "discouraging," based on the report provided by doctors. Quijada will get the second opinion before an announcement is made regarding the severity of the injury and whether it will require surgery. Even if a procedure isn't deemed necessary, the 27-year-old appears likely to be sidelined beyond the minimum 15 days.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Placed on IL with elbow issue
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Quijada was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Angels on Friday with left elbow soreness.
Quijada told reporters that he felt sore when he woke up Friday. The left-hander also said he's undergone an MRI, but the results haven't been presented yet. The Angels will call up Chris Devenski to take Quijada's place in the bullpen before Saturday's game against the Brewers.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Implodes for first blown save
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Quijada (0-1) blew the save and took the loss against the Royals on Saturday, allowing five runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning.
Quijada had been great this season coming into Saturday, holding opponents scoreless and notching four saves while posting an 8:1 BB:K over eight innings. However, he couldn't seal the deal in the ninth inning against Kansas City, allowing six of the eight batters he faced to reach base. The southpaw plunked two hitters and walked another two while throwing just 15 of 27 pitches for strikes, so he clearly didn't have his stuff working for him. Despite the poor outing, Quijada's strong start to the campaign should allow him to remain in contention for save chances alongside Carlos Estevez for the Angels.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Snags another save
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Quijada picked up the save in Friday's 2-0 victory over the Royals. He surrendered one hit but didn't allow a run while striking out two over one inning.
Quijada has converted the last two save opportunities for the Angels. The lefty has four saves in eight appearances and has yet to allow a run. Quijada's main competition for saves, right-hander Carlos Estevez, pitched a perfect eighth. Quijada may be the saves leader now, but the Angels will likely play matchups all season.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Grabs third save
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Quijada earned a save against the Yankees on Tuesday, striking out two batters in a scoreless inning.
Quijada got the call with the Angels up 5-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. The southpaw faced two right-handers in Kyle Higashioka and Anthony Volpe along with switch hitter Aaron Hicks, retiring the trio in order on just 10 pitches. Quijada leads Los Angeles with three saves on the campaign, while Carlos Estevez has two. It bears mentioning that Estevez had pitched twice in the previous three days prior to Tuesday, which may have been a factor in holding him out. Still, Quijada has had a great start to the campaign with seven scoreless innings during which he's posted a 6:1 BB:K, and he appears to be more of a co-closer than a second option.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Earns save Wednesday
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Quijada picked up a save Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a scoreless inning.
The Angels led by one run heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, and manager Phil Nevin elected to go to Quijada with Seattle due to send up a switch hitter and a lefty as the first two batters in the frame. That decision paid off, as the southpaw reliever worked around a one-out walk to close out the contest and earn the save. Quijada wasn't expected to be a lead candidate for saves out of the Angels bullpen this season, and he may not pick up many more along the way. However, Wednesday's contest provided evidence that Nevin is willing to play the matchups rather than commit to a full-time closer.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Returns from WBC
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Quijada returned to Angels camp Monday after playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Quijada had a few big moments in the WBC, but he finished the tournament having allowed three runs over 2.1 innings. The left-hander is one of several Angels who has closing experience and could get a save chance or two with the team's ninth-inning role still undecided, though Carlos Estevez and Jimmy Herget appear to have the best chance of landing the closer job.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Earns hold despite rough showing
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Quijada allowed two earned runs over 1.2 innings in Monday's 5-4 extra-inning loss against Oakland. He allowed one hit, two walks and struck out one.
Quijada entered the game with one out in the eighth inning and retired both batters he faced. He then stuck around and retired two batters but allowed two runners to reach base in the ninth, both of whom scored after Aaron Loup relieved him. The hold was Quijada's fourth since Sept. 25, but he has now allowed earned runs to score in three of his last five outings and has not recorded a save since Aug. 14.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Blows save, takes loss Wednesday
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Quijada (0-4) took the loss and blew a save against the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk over two-thirds of an inning.
Jimmy Herget has been the Angels' primary closer of late, but manager Phil Nevin chose to use Herget in the eighth inning with his team up by one run Wednesday. That led to the decision to deploy Quijada in a save situation in the ninth, which backfired when the first two batters he faced belted the ball out of the park. Quijada looked to be a candidate to close regularly after Raisel Iglesias was traded to Atlanta, but the lefty hasn't notched a save since Aug. 14 and did not earn much trust with his blown save against the Tigers.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Notches third save
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Quijada saved Sunday's 4-2 win against the Twins, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Quijada made quick work of the heart of Minnesota's lineup on 11 pitches to record his third save of the season and first since Aug. 2, with Jimmy Herget and Ryan Tepera picking up saves in the time between. Sunday's use provided no insight into the closer situation as all three relievers pitched during Saturday's extra-inning win. Quijada has surrendered one run across 5.1 innings in August and possesses a 2.96 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 25 appearances.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Used in eighth inning
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Quijada picked up a hold in the eighth inning of Friday's game against the Mariners.
Jesse Chavez blew the save in the ninth, Jimmy Herget picked up the save in the 10th inning and Ryan Tepera was unavailable, so this closer situation is still murky following the trade of Raisel Iglesias to Atlanta earlier in the week. While Quijada got a save earlier this week, he wasn't being held back for the save situation Friday.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Notches second save
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Quijada pitched a perfect ninth inning to save Tuesday's 3-1 win against the Athletics. He failed to record a strikeout.
With Raisel Iglesias shipped to Atlanta at the trade deadline, Quijada received the first crack at the ninth inning and delivered with a clean frame on just eight pitches. The 26-year-old was tagged for three runs in one-third of an inning in his last appearance Sunday but had tossed five scoreless innings while allowing only two baserunners prior. He sports a 3.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 24 strikeouts in 20 innings across 21 games this season.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Can't find strike zone in loss
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Quijada (0-3) took the loss against Texas on Sunday, allowing three runs on one hit and two walks while striking out one batter over one-third of an inning.
The game was tied 2-2 when Quijada entered in the ninth-inning, but the left-hander was unable to keep things that way. He threw only six of 17 pitches for strikes and loaded the bases before being pulled with one out, and he was tagged with the loss when Raisel Iglesias subsequently surrendered a bases-clearing double. Quijada had been pitching well coming into the contest, allowing only one run over 7.1 innings across his previous seven appearances in July.
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Angels' Jose Quijada: Notches hold Tuesday
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Quijada earned a hold against Kansas City on Tuesday by pitching 1.2 scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and one walk.
Jose Suarez opened the game with 5.1 scoreless frames for the Angels, but he ran into trouble by loading the bases with one out in the sixth. Quijada came to the rescue, inducing a fielder's-choice groundout and a flyout to keep the Royals off the scoreboard. The southpaw has picked up two holds so far in July, giving up only one run over 7.1 frames while posting a 9:4 K:BB.
