Angels’ Catcher Having Huge Turnaround After O’Hoppe Injury

Matt Thaiss is coming into this own

The Los Angeles Angels suffered a huge loss in late April as their young catcher Logan O'Hoppe tore his labrum. The rookie catcher was coming into his own and was on his way to having an extraordinary rookie season. 

That left a massive hole for the Halos to fill, and many wondered if the players at their disposal would be adequate for the job. Not only are the Angels playing some good baseball since O'Hoppe went down, but the two catchers are holding up their own, especially 28-year-old catcher Matt Thaiss. 

After start the season 0-of-14, Matt Thaiss is hitting .448 (13-of-29) ever since.

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) May 9, 2023

Thaiss was the backup catcher to O'Hoppe, only playing in seven games before his injury is now playing tremendous baseball and is proving to be the catcher for the rest of the season. 

In 18 games, Thaiss is slashing .310/.400/.429 with a .829 OPS, one home run, and seven RBIs in 42 ABs. This is his fifth year with the Halos, and this year will be his first time getting some real ABs for an entire season. 

The former 2016 first-round pick is coming into his own and has been elite in his last seven games, as he has eight hits, four runs, and three RBIs in 18 ABs. Thaiss and the Angels are finding their groove; let's hope this is sustainable.