Notes: Watson returns; Suarez called up

ANAHEIM -- The Angels made a number of roster moves ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Dodgers.

The Halos reinstated lefty reliever Tony Watson (calf) from the IL and called up lefty José Suarez in place of right-hander Alex Cobb, who was placed on the injured list on Saturday. Suarez has made 17 career starts with the Angels, including two last year.

With Cobb moved to the IL ahead of his scheduled start on Monday in Houston, Angels manager Joe Maddon said plans are still in the works for who will get the nod against the Astros.

He added that Suarez is “here to help” on Sunday and his usage could determine the Angels' next move, but the club has a number of options for the series opener, including making it a bullpen day.

“It’s all the above,” he said. “We're going to wait till the games over today to try to figure out tomorrow. That’s exactly right.”

Honorary Bat Girl
With MLB celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday, each club is celebrating an Honorary Bat Girl.

The Angels honored Susan Fried, who is a science teacher nearby Cypress High School, a former teacher of second baseman David Fletcher, a high school women’s sports coach and a breast cancer patient.

Fried was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2020 and underwent chemotherapy. In what was already a difficult year due to the changes in from in-person to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fried used social media to connect with others. To help through the complications of her journey, she invited her students and the community around her to follow along with her treatment as she posted updates of process and promoted awareness to other women in doing self-checkups for breast cancer.

A few months after her diagnosis, Fried requested that her doctor give her “the only gift that mattered” on her birthday. Fried got that gift and had a double mastectomy surgery to remove the tumor after learning that it had grown during her chemotherapy.

She is now continuing to receive checkups, which have shown clear margins. She is “halfway home” in being cancer free.

Maddon: No confrontation with Pujols
Maddon refuted a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that there was a “confrontation” during the meeting between Maddon, Albert Pujols, Angels president John Carpino and general manager Perry Minasian when the future Hall of Famer was told he was being designated for assignment on Thursday.

“I mean, I didn't hear confrontation,” Maddon during a pregame Zoom on Sunday. “Well, that's the thing. I'm hearing all this stuff being reported, but that's not with me. ... Otherwise, I wasn't in the room after the game when [Carpino] and [Minasian] spoke with him. When talking to [Carpino] and [Minasian], it seemed like he was very amenable and fine. So I've heard this stuff, but it was not what I actually witnessed.”

Angels notes
Shortstop José Iglesias is being considered day to day after he left Saturday’s 14-11 loss with a back injury. Maddon added that Iglesias “is still moving slowly,” but he had improved from the night before.

Catcher Jack Kruger was claimed on waivers by the Rangers. He was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake after the Angels acquired catcher Drew Butera in a trade with the Rangers on Friday.