Thaiss went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Guardians.
Thaiss has gotten into just three games since returning Sept. 3 from a short trip on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. His homer Saturday was his first hit in nine at-bats during that span. The catcher has nine long balls, 31 RBI, 32 runs scored, two stolen bases and six doubles over 93 contests this year. Thaiss is likely to fill a backup role behind Logan O'Hoppe for the remainder of the year.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Returns from IL
Rotowire
The Angels reinstated Thaiss (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list Sunday.
After landing on the IL on Aug. 25 with right shoulder inflammation, Thaiss spent the minimum amount of time on the shelf and didn't require a rehab assignment prior to being activated. He'll be one of three catchers on the Angels' 28-man roster, but even though top backstop Logan O'Hoppe is getting the day off for Sunday's series finale in Oakland, Thaiss won't receive the starting nod behind the plate. Instead, Chad Wallach will catch for Angels starter Tyler Anderson.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Further tests come back negative
Rotowire
Thaiss underwent further testing on his injured right shoulder, which came back negative, MLB.com reports.
Thaiss was placed on the 10-day injured list last week with right shoulder inflammation and additional testing has ruled out structural damage. The catcher said he's most affected when throwing but is hopeful it will be a short-term absence. He's eligible for activation in early September, but there's no official return timetable at this point.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Lands on IL with inflamed shoulder
Rotowire
The Angels placed Thaiss on the 10-day injured list Friday with right shoulder inflammation, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Chad Wallach has been summoned from Triple-A Salt Lake to take over backup duties behind promising young catcher Logan O'Hoppe. Thaiss has a .223/.330/.344 season slash line across 291 plate appearances.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Losing work to O'Hoppe
Rotowire
Thaiss is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Reds.
Thaiss should be back behind the plate for the nightcap, but his time as the Halos' primary backstop appears to be over. Logan O'Hoppe has now started at catcher in four of the Angels' first five games since he returned from the 60-day injured list Friday, relegating Thaiss to a bench role.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Snaps hitless stretch with homer
Rotowire
Thaiss went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 2-0 win against the Rangers on Wednesday.
Thaiss came into Wednesday having gone 0-for-10 over his previous five games and batting a meager .107 through 28 at-bats in August. He snapped the cold spell, at least temporarily, with a 450-foot solo blast to center field in the ninth inning that gave the Angels an important insurance run. Thaiss has been working as Los Angeles' primary catcher of late with Chad Wallach also struggling this month, though both backstops will likely see less playing time when Logan O'Hoppe (shoulder), who his currently rehabbing in Triple-A, returns to the lineup in the coming weeks.
Thaiss is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Thaiss is 3-for-26 through 10 games in August and will hit the bench for Tuesday's contest. Chad Wallach will take over behind the plate and bat eighth.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Sitting Sunday
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Thaiss isn't in the Angels' lineup Sunday against Houston, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Thaiss is just 3-for-23 with a homer and two RBI since the start of August, so he'll get a day off Sunday to regroup. Chad Wallach will fill in behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: On bench Friday
Rotowire
Thaiss is out of the lineup Friday against the Astros.
Chad Wallach will start behind the plate and bat ninth as the Angels take on right-hander Justin Verlander. Logan O'Hoppe (shoulder) could soon return and claim the majority of the playing time at catcher for the stretch run.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Sitting against lefty
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Thaiss is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Giants.
Chad Wallach will start at catcher and bat ninth as the Angels take on left-handed opener Scott Alexander, who is expected to be followed by fellow southpaw Alex Wood. Thaiss, a left-handed hitter, continues to draw the large majority of his playing time versus righties.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Goes deep Sunday
Rotowire
Thaiss went 1-for-3 with a solo home run against Seattle in Sunday's extra-inning loss.
Thaiss hit a big solo shot in the seventh inning to tie the game 2-2, but the Mariners ended up pulling out the win in the the 10th frame. The long ball was Thaiss's first since July 18, a span of 13 games. The catcher struggled mightily during that stretch, slashing .103/.200/.103 with no extra-base hits and a 33.3 percent strikeout rate over 45 plate appearances. Thaiss has held onto the primary catcher role since Chad Wallach hasn't hit any better, but both will likely see their playing time reduced when Logan O'Hoppe (shoulder) is ready to return, likely near the end of August.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Sits for day game
Rotowire
Thaiss is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Thaiss will take a seat for the matinee game after he was behind the plate for all eight innings of the Angels' 5-1 loss Tuesday night. Chad Wallach will catch for starting pitcher Lucas Giolito in the series finale.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Gets Monday off
Rotowire
Thaiss is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Thaiss will give way to Chad Wallach after catching each of the Halos' last four games. Unless he makes an appearance off the bench Monday, Thaiss will wrap up a disappointing July with a .150/.297/.250 slash line to go with two home runs, five RBI, four runs and one stolen base over 20 games.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: On bench for early game
Rotowire
Thaiss is out of the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Tigers.
Chad Wallach will catch for starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani in the early game, but expect Thaiss to check back in behind the plate for the nightcap. Thaiss remains atop the depth chart at catcher, but he's endured a rough July with a .156/.291/.289 slash line and only two extra-base hits on the month.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Sitting against lefty
Rotowire
Thaiss is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Yankees.
Chad Wallach will handle the catching duties and hit ninth for the Angels with left-hander Carlos Rodon on the mound for New York. Thaiss has drawn only 24 plate appearances this year against southpaws, compared to 195 plate appearances against righties.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Homers in Monday's win
Rotowire
Thaiss went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Yankees.
Thaiss got the Angels on the board with his sixth-inning blast. The catcher has hit two of his six homers this year within his last seven games. He's at a solid .254/.367/.387 slash line with 23 RBI, 27 runs scored, two stolen bases and six doubles through 215 plate appearances. Thaiss has started at catcher in three of the Angels' four games since the All-Star break, suggesting he's more firmly in the No. 1 role over Chad Wallach than he was in June.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Goes deep in loss
Rotowire
Thaiss went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk against the Padres in Wednesday's loss.
Thaiss briefly tied the game in the seventh inning with a 424-foot blast, but San Diego came back to pull out the win. Between Thaiss' previous homer June 24 against Colorado and his long ball Wednesday, he had gone just 3-for-22 with no extra-base hits. Nonetheless, he's worked his way back atop the Angels' catching depth chart due largely to the even greater struggles of Chad Wallach, who hasn't logged a hit since mid-June and has gone 0-for-26 with 15 strikeouts over his past 11 contests.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Takes back work from Wallach
Rotowire
Thaiss will start at catcher and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
After making just two starts in an eight-game stretch from June 18 through June 27, Thaiss has now stepped in behind the dish four times over the Angels' subsequent five games. At least for the time being, Thaiss appears to have reclaimed primary catching duties from Chad Wallach.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Gets aboard four times
Rotowire
Thaiss went 3-for-6 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 25-1 win over the Rockies.
Thaiss came into Saturday 0-for-9 over his last four contests, and Chad Wallach had started four games in a row to capitalize on Thaiss's slump. That dry spell is over in a big way, but it's likely the Angels continue with a timeshare behind the dish. Thaiss has held his own with a .277/.383/.409 slash line, four homers, 21 RBI, 22 runs scored and a stolen base over 162 plate appearances on the year.
