Garrett Richards gave Angels fans a scare when he left his season debut on Wednesday night in the fifth, but the early word on him seems encouraging.
LA Times Angels beat reporter Pedro Moura says the initial diagnosis on the Angels pitcher is a biceps cramp.
Source says the initial diagnosis on Garrett Richards is a biceps cramp.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) April 6, 2017
Richards left the Angels’ 5-0 win over the Oakland A’s with two outs in the fifth. Catcher Martin Maldonado noticed Richards experiencing some discomfort and motioned for the trainer to come out and examine Richards. The pitcher then exited the game.
Richards missed almost all of last season after suffering an elbow injury. Despite having a ligament tear, he opted for platelet injections and stem cell therapy over Tommy John surgery and was ready for the first week of the season.
“It sounds like everything’s alright,” outfielder Kole Calhoun said of Richards in an interview with FOX Sports after the game. “What I’ve heard and what some of us have heard is that everything is alright.”
Richards’ 2017 debut was going great until the injury. He pitched 4.2 innings allowing three hits and a walk with four strikeouts. He was an out shy of qualifying for the win.
For now, it seems like Richards won’t even undergo an MRI.
Mike Scioscia said the #Angels are still hoping Richards can make his next start. Will be evaluated back in SoCal. No plans for MRI now
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) April 6, 2017
