Minasian: Angels 'in a pretty good spot'

ANAHEIM -- With two games left until the All-Star break, the Angels entered Saturday with a 44-43 record and 4 1/2 games out of the second American League Wild Card spot.

General manager Perry Minasian spoke to the media on Saturday to address the first half of the season, which has seen the Halos stay afloat despite Mike Trout being out since mid-May with a strained left calf and yet another rough season from a pitching staff that entered Saturday with the fourth-worst ERA in the Majors.

“We're a game over .500 and I don’t think anybody is happy with where we're at," Minasian said. "I think, obviously, dealing with what we've dealt with, if you would've told me that Trout would've been out as long as he's been out or that Justin Upton would be out, I'd say we're in a pretty good spot with the injuries we've faced."

With the Trade Deadline fast approaching on July 30, Minasian doesn’t believe in either the buyer or seller label. Minasian does think the Angels can put themselves in a situation where he could acquire help, and is also open to dealing for rental players who will be free agents after the season.

“I think it’s very realistic,” Minasian said of trading for help. “These guys have played really hard. I give Joe and the staff a lot of credit. Over the last three weeks, we’ve played very well. We’re definitely looking for ways to improve the team.”

If the Angels do make any moves, it could be to improve the rotation or bullpen given their struggles. Minasian acknowledged that the pitching has been an issue, though he believes it’ll improve.

“I think it’s been a combination of things,” Minasian said. “I think, defensively, we haven’t been great. We have had guys who haven’t performed up to their capabilities. Hopefully, in the second half, things change and we go from where we are to being a Top 5, Top 10 pitching team in the second half of the season. We do feel there are some young guys on the cusp of being here and affecting this club.”

Of those younger players, left-hander Reid Detmers could make his debut late in the season. Right-hander Chris Rodriguez is continuing to get stretched out at Double-A Rocket City after excelling in the Angels’ bullpen early in the year.

On the offensive side, outfielders Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh could also be brought up at some point in the second half. Adell has 18 homers in 54 games at Triple-A Salt Lake and his defense is improving, while Marsh returned to Triple-A on Friday after missing more than a month with right shoulder inflammation.

"Jo is playing well," Minasian said. "He's gone through his ups and downs. There's still some things he's working on from an offensive standpoint, from a defensive standpoint and from a baserunning standpoint. But Jo is a guy who loves the game and comes in every day ready to go. The power is there, we all know that, but what we're seeing is him start to round out some of the other parts of his game."

Minasian also had injury updates on Trout, Upton and Anthony Rendon.

There’s still no exact timetable for when Trout will begin his rehab assignment, which means it’s likely to occur after the All-Star break. Trout, who has been out since May 17, will be sidelined longer than the initial timetable of six to eight weeks.

Upton, who has been out since June 22 with a lower back strain, is also now expected to need a rehab assignment, which means he too might not be ready to return immediately after the break. Rendon, however, is progressing well with his left hamstring strain and is expected back on Friday.