Rendon out, but IL stint not expected

OAKLAND -- Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was held out of the lineup on Tuesday with a right triceps injury suffered on a diving play on Monday, but isn’t expected to need a stint on the injured list, manager Joe Maddon said.

Rendon, who exited Monday’s game in the sixth inning with the injury, is expected to miss the next few days. The Angels are set to return home for a four-game series against the Tigers that begins on Thursday, but it’s unclear at this point exactly when Rendon will be able to resume playing.

“He’s better than we thought or expected,” Maddon said. “He went through a couple tests outside with the trainers. We expect him to be out a couple days, which is good news. I guess it was a mild strain of sorts. He obviously won’t play today and isn’t available. But maybe in three days or so, he’ll be back out there. That’s the initial report.”

Rendon has already been on the injured list twice this year, missing 11 games with a left groin strain in April and 10 games with a left knee contusion in May. But Maddon is confident this injury won’t require a third stint.

“I believe we have ruled it out,” Maddon said. “But I don’t know that it’s 100%. But all the needles point to him being able to play once we get back home.”

Maddon, Cobb have differing views on new sticky substance rule
With word that Major League Baseball is set to crack down on pitchers using illegal foreign substances, right-hander Alex Cobb and Maddon had different takes on the new rules. Pitchers can’t use anything outside of rosin, and pitchers who are caught doing otherwise will face 10-game suspensions with pay, though teams will not be allowed to replace the suspended player with another on the roster.

Cobb wasn’t pleased for several reasons, explaining that he wanted to see MLB be more proactive and to allow certain substances, a uniform substance approved by the league, or a new, stickier ball to help pitchers with their grip. Cobb said he uses a mixture of rosin and sunscreen and it doesn’t affect his spin rate, but does help him get a better grip. He believes making the changes in-season could also lead to injuries and that it’ll be especially difficult to grip balls in humid conditions.

"I was hoping the reason it was taking so long was because MLB was doing due diligence and handling it the proper way, trying to find a way to address the main issue, which is the variance of balls that we use," Cobb said. "The mud that they put on the ball that turns into a powder created this issue in the first place. But I was very disappointed when it came out and saw that they didn't address anything.

“Pitchers took it too far," Cobb added, "but this sticky substance originated in kind of an honest manner where guys were trying to get a grip on the ball. I thought MLB was going to address that problem. But they didn't."

Maddon, though, believes the league is simply trying to clean up a problem, as pitchers' increased use of foreign substances has been unfair to hitters with the improved movement on pitches the practice allowed. Maddon believes it will lead to more action and balls in play, which will only help the game going forward.

“I’m kind of pleased with it all, actually,” Maddon said. “I don’t want to offend anybody on our team. Absolutely not. But as an industry, going forward to make it the best version of our game and more interesting for us and for young kids that may want to play in the future, I think it’s the right thing to do. It really is an unfair advantage.”