Justin Upton’s prescription: no swings, home mattress

ANAHEIM ― Justin Upton played nine innings in left field for the Angels on Monday. He collected one hit and one stiff back that grew worse as the game went on. He did not swing a bat for three days, then returned to the lineup Friday night against the Minnesota Twins.

Upton, 33, is hopeful. He was batting just .194 at the time of the injury but believes his timing hasn’t drifted too far since spring training, when he batted .357.

“We’re looking at things, making adjustments, and starting to feel better,” Upton said. “I had the (single) Monday night in Kansas City, started to feel better, then the back crept up. Hopefully, we can corral that momentum.”

Momentum swings have defined Upton’s four-and-half seasons with the Angels. He finished last season batting .303 over his final 22 games, with a .398 on-base percentage and .605 slugging percentage. In his first 20 games, Upton produced a .099/.167/.225 slash line that was among the worst in the league. His pendulum is likely to swing again in due course.

Age trends in only one direction, which is why Upton’s back injury is potentially more concerning than his performance. A minor bout with turf toe in spring training two years ago turned into a nearly three-month-long stint on the injured list. This time, the culprit for Upton’s back stiffness was similarly mundane.

“We travel a lot and sometimes you sleep bad, just like somebody does when they wake up to go to work in the morning,” he said. “Sometimes you just sleep bad, your body doesn’t respond well to the bed, and you end up with some back tightness. I’m going to attribute it to that. At the end of the day, I got through it in two days. I don’t think it’s going to be a chronic thing.”

Freed from the constraints of a Kansas City hotel mattress, Upton returns to a ballpark where he’s hit six of his last nine home runs.

“As athletes, we put a lot of thought into what kind of bed we’re sleeping on,” he said. “I feel pretty good. I feel confident that my bed at home is not going to trigger anything.”

TRANSACTIONS

Two players were added to the roster prior to Friday’s game. The Angels purchased outfielder Scott Schebler’s contract and recalled infielder Luis Rengifo from the alternate site.

To make room for Schebler on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jon Jay was designated for assignment. Jay went 1 for 8 across two games in Kansas City. Rengifo takes the place of infielder Jack Mayfield, who was optioned to the minor leagues Thursday.

Schebler, a left-handed hitter, batted .290 with two home runs in spring training. Rengifo, a switch hitter, reached base at a .405 clip in Cactus League play. Unlike last year, teams were allowed to schedule exhibition games against opposing teams at the alternate sites this year.

In theory, that left Schebler, Rengifo, and the other players at the Angels’ alternate site ready for major league action – with one exception. Taylor Ward was held back because of COVID-19 contact tracing protocols. Although Ward tested negative for the virus, Manager Joe Maddon said the 27-year-old utility player hadn’t played enough before Friday to be in line for his first call-up of the season.

REMEMBERING 42

All uniformed personnel at the ballpark wore a number-42 jersey to commemorate the 74th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Upton and veteran outfielder Dexter Fowler, who is out for the season with a knee injury, are the Angels’ only African American players. USA Today reported this week that only 7.1 percent of all major leaguers identify as Black.

“This will be my 14th or 15th time wearing (number 42),” Upton said. “It’s special every time. Especially with everything going on in the world, and to represent Jackie and everything he went through, it’s special for everybody to wear number 42.”

ALSO

The Angels were scheduled to begin exhibitions at minor league camp this week. However, because of one positive COVID-19 test, they postponed the start of the schedule until Saturday. … Shohei Ohtani (finger blister) will throw a side session on Saturday, Maddon said. That will determine how soon he can return to the Angels’ starting rotation. … The Angels will keep nine pitchers in their bullpen for the foreseeable future. “Right now we just want to make sure our pitchers are covered,” Maddon said.