Notes: Rendon nearing return; Cobb update

ANAHEIM -- Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, who has been out since April 10 with a strained left groin, ramped up his baseball activities on Tuesday and is nearing a return, manager Joe Maddon said.

Rendon progressed to light baseball activities on Monday, then increased his intensity on Tuesday, swinging the bat and participate in fielding practice without any issues. He’s eligible to return from the injured list on Wednesday, but it still appears more likely he’ll return shortly after that.

“He did pretty well,” Maddon said. “He did different things with hitting and different stuff movement-wise. Just passing all the tests and doing better. Again, I don’t know the end date, but he’s continuing to make improvements.”

Maddon added that it’s clear that Rendon wants to return soon based on his interaction with him after he met with the training staff.

“Anthony gave me the thumbs up himself and told me not to listen to the trainer,” Maddon said. “So I know he's doing better."

Rendon, 30, was hitting .290/.378/.387 with a homer and three RBIs in eight games before being placed on the IL. Jose Rojas and Luis Rengifo have filled in for Rendon at third base, including Rojas getting the start there on Tuesday against the Rangers.

Cobb pushed back to start vs. Astros
Maddon wouldn’t get into specifics, but he said there was a reason why right-hander Alex Cobb was pushed back to start Thursday’s series opener against the Astros after seeing his scheduled start last Sunday postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Twins. Cobb hasn't started since April 12, but he faced hitters in a simulated game on Sunday to get ready for his upcoming outing.

“It’s interior stuff and proprietary stuff that we liked,” Maddon said. “That was it. Part of it was [Dylan] Bundy was hot and ready to pitch. And we had to get Shohei [Ohtani] in there [Tuesday]. There were some mitigating factors but we liked Cobb on Houston.”

Angels tidbits
• Left-hander José Quintana has worked to move to the first-base side of the rubber after struggling in his first two starts. Quintana was going to implement it on Saturday before the game was postponed, but he pitched from the first-base side in his simulated start on Sunday and will again in Wednesday's series finale vs. the Rangers. Quintana and the Angels believe his changeup will improve by moving to the other side of the rubber, and it’s something he’s done in the past.

• Catcher Max Stassi has been making solid progress with his sprained left thumb and has surprised Maddon with how quickly he’s been healing. Stassi was hit by a foul tip while catching on April 12 and is eligible to return on Friday.

• The Angels are being cautious with Juan Lagares and his sprained left calf, but Maddon said the outfielder has been cleared to do some running and is getting closer to a return. Lagares is eligible to return from the IL on Wednesday, but Maddon said the training staff still wants him to prove he can run without any issues a bit more before he’s reinstated.