O'Hoppe awaits evaluations after injuring shoulder in loss

NEW YORK -- The Angels were dealt a potentially huge blow in their 9-3 loss to the Yankees on Thursday, as rookie catcher Logan O'Hoppe exited the finale at Yankee Stadium after injuring his left shoulder on a ninth-inning swing.

O’Hoppe, ranked as the club’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, singled to left on a 2-2 sweeper from reliever Gregory Weissert, but he immediately went down in pain in the batter’s box following the swing. After making it to first base, he stood on the bag and bent over in discomfort before being attended to by head athletic trainer Mike Frostad and manager Phil Nevin. The catcher immediately left the game as Matt Thaiss took over as a pinch-runner.

This is the same shoulder O’Hoppe injured on a swing during the first inning of Monday’s game against the Red Sox. The club doesn’t know his prognosis yet, but O’Hoppe was emotional coming out of the game and when describing his injury.

“The same thing happened in Boston, I felt a pop come out the back,” O’Hoppe said. “I’ll be reevaluated in the next couple days. The hardest part is that [I did] everything for the last year or so so this wouldn’t happen. Just hoping it’s nothing too serious.”

The Angels are certainly hoping it’s something minor, too, as the 23-year-old O’Hoppe has emerged as their starting catcher after a strong start this season. The Sayville, N.Y., native went 3-for-4 on Thursday, and he is batting .283/.339/.547 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 16 games. He’s also drawn raves from Halos pitchers, who love throwing to him.

If O’Hoppe misses time, Thaiss is expected to become the club’s regular catcher, while Chad Wallach is the most likely option to be called up as the backup. Wallach was in New York as part of the taxi squad, but he isn’t on the 40-man roster. The Angels have an open spot, though, after outrighting infielder David Fletcher on Monday.

Max Stassi, who was expected to be the club’s starting catcher, remains out with a family emergency and a left hip strain. He’s getting close to starting baseball activities, but he will need time to ramp up before starting a rehab assignment.

O’Hoppe says it’s unclear whether he will see a specialist or what kind of testing he will undergo. Nevin, meanwhile, is trying to remain optimistic, even though it’s too early for a prognosis.

“It’s very similar to what happened in Boston,” Nevin said. “It’s fresh. We have to get with doctors and see where we’re at. It doesn’t feel good, I’m sure, but he just cares. He cares. That’s his personality. I feel for him. The emotions you saw [in] him [are] because he cares about this club. He doesn't want to miss any time. We’ll see where we’re at.”

O’Hoppe, who was acquired from the Phillies in exchange for outfielder Brandon Marsh at last year’s Trade Deadline, said he’s never dealt with a similar injury, so he’s not sure what to expect -- or even what exactly happened in the first place.

“I don’t know, we’ll find out during the eval,” O’Hoppe said. “I don’t know what it feels like to have a shoulder pop out of place. It’s never happened to me.”

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O’Hoppe remained in the game against the Red Sox on Monday despite dealing with a similar issue in the first frame, hitting a single with an exit velocity of 108.3 mph in that same at-bat.

“He felt a little something that time, but he was fine right after that,” Nevin said. “You saw the swings he took right after. And he was good for [three] games in a row now. He’s caught well. He’s swung the bat well. It’s just one of those things where shoulders can be tricky.”

O’Hoppe said the biggest difference between Monday and Thursday was that this time it wasn’t a surprise feeling.

“I think in Boston, it freaked me out more,” O’Hoppe said. “This time, it hurt a little bit more just because I knew it was the same thing. I was just more aware of what was happening.”

Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval, who gave up five runs in the first inning and pitched four frames in the loss, said everyone in the clubhouse is pulling for O’Hoppe.

“He’s a huge part of this team and the future of this team,” Sandoval said. “We’re all just hoping and praying he’s all right.”