Angels manager Ron Washington will be out for an indefinite amount of time with a health concern, general manager Perry Minasian told reporters on Friday.
Minasian said Washington, 73, will continue to be around the team, but will not be in the dugout as he addresses the undisclosed health matter.
The Angels did not specify what symptoms Washington is experiencing, but said the manager was able to address the team in the clubhouse along with Minasian on Friday before the Angels’ 3-2 loss to the Astros, and reportedly watched the game from the GM’s Angel Stadium suite.
Washington was not made available to the media.
“Wash has not felt great the last couple of days,” Minasian said before the loss. “We want to make sure he’s 100% before he’s back in the dugout and managing. How long it’s going to take, I don’t know. I don’t expect it to be too long.
“We all know how important this is for all of us, but health is more important than anything, and me personally, I’m not letting him back in the dugout until I know he’s 100% OK. I love the guy too much.”
Angels bench coach Ray Montgomery, now the team’s interim manager, served his first game in the new role in Friday night’s loss.
Washington, who is in his second season managing the Angels, led the team to a 36-38 record before Friday’s loss.
“He wants to manage–I don’t know if he’s ever missed a game–but at the end of the day, you have to make tough decisions,” Minasian said. “For me, I want to make sure the guy is absolutely healthy, and physically, he’s in the right place before we put him back in the dugout.
“We play some close games. They’re not the types of games you can sit back, kick your feet up and just watch. They’re pretty tight games, stressful games, and I want to make sure he’s good to go health-wise before he gets back in the dugout.”
At the start of this season, Washington introduced a new workout regimen for his team following their Opening Day loss against the Orioles, which has been well received by his players.
“I think it’s great every single thing Wash has done so far,” Angels left fielder Taylor Ward told MLB.com in April. “I love it. And it might just be what we need.”
Washington explained how he held a full team workout on what was originally an off day, saying that is was good to keep the blood flowing and to stay on track mentally.
“I think it was important because I don’t want them to get caught up in the fact that we’re not playing baseball the way we’re capable of playing baseball,” Washington said. “I don’t want them to get inside of themselves.
“I want them to be free and I want them to know that if we keep coming out here and working that things will take care of itself. That was the point.”
Washington also recently said he believes the Angels will be on an upward path compared to last season, where his team finished with a 63-99 record.
“We’re gonna be on that trajectory,” Washington said. “We don’t think, we will be. But we have to stay in the process, we have to work, we have to learn, we’ve got to apply. That’s what the game of baseball is about: work, learning and applying. And we’re going to do that.”
— with AP