Angels GM Provides Massive Injury Update on $33 Million Reliever Who Missed 2024 Season

Maren Angus-Coombs | Dec 11, 2024

Sep 6, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (26) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson didn't throw a single pitch for the Los Angeles Angels in 2024.

Stephenson began the season on the injured list after experiencing right shoulder discomfort during spring training. While on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake, he made one appearance but was pulled after throwing just four pitches, all of them balls, and reported feeling discomfort in his elbow.

He underwent Tommy John surgery, and his season was over before it ever began.

More News: Angels Linked to All-Star Infielder Projected to Get $45 Million Deal

“It just came out weird,” Stephenson said on April 23, the first time he’d spoken to the media since the injury. “I just felt it right when I threw it. I tried to throw a couple more pitches after that, but just something felt wrong. I didn’t expect it to be as bad as it ended up.”

The good news is that Stephenson has been playing catch and should make his Angels debut at some point in 2025.

“We’ll see where he is in the spring,” general manager Perry Minasian said at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings in Dallas. “If that’s middle of April, early May, whatever it may be, we’ll wait and get him when he’s ready.”

Stephenson shared in April that his surgery will include the addition of an internal brace, a newer enhancement to the traditional Tommy John procedure.

This internal brace, made from surgical tape, provides extra support to the reconstructed ulnar collateral ligament — and because he is a reliever, his recovery timetable is slightly different compared to a starter's.

The Angels aren’t sure when he’ll be back, but they aren’t expecting it to take as long as it would if he were a starter.

The Angels structured Stephenson's contract with a unique clause: A conditional $2.5 million team option for 2027, activated if he suffers elbow ligament damage requiring a minimum 130-day injured list stint. With this condition now met, the Angels can retain him for 2027 at that price but have until the end of the 2026 season to finalize their decision.

Stephenson delivered an impressive 2023 season, finishing with a 3.10 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 52.1 innings split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays. He excelled after joining Tampa Bay, posting a 2.35 ERA and striking out 60 batters in 38.1 innings.

With eight years of MLB experience, Stephenson has a career 4.64 ERA and 406 strikeouts across 364.1 innings, having played for the Reds, Rockies, Pirates, and Rays.