Thaiss will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
Thaiss will get the nod behind the plate Wednesday in place of the resting Logan O'Hoppe, as the Angels and White Sox wrap up their series with a day game after a night game. The 29-year-old Thaiss will be entering the lineup in the midst of a cold spell, as he's gone hitless in 30 at-bats over his last 11 contests.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Swats second homer
Rotowire
Thaiss went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays.
Thaiss produced one of just two extra-base hits for Los Angeles in the defeat, smacking a solo shot to center field in the fifth inning. The backstop was in the lineup for the third time in five days -- twice he's worked behind the plate, and once he was the DH -- as his playing time has been slightly ticking up. Thaiss has earned the increased at-bats by slashing .342/.435/.474 with seven RBI, four runs, a 7:9 BB:K and three stolen bases over 12 contests since the beginning of July.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Gets on base five times Sunday
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Thaiss went 2-for-2 with three walks and a stolen base in a 6-4 win over Washington on Sunday.
Thaiss got the start behind the plate with Logan O'Hoppe getting a rest day. The former made the most of the opportunity, setting a season high with three walks and notching his sixth multi-hit game of the campaign. O'Hoppe is firmly entrenched as the Angels' primary catcher, but Thaiss has been hitting well since the start of July despite limited playing time, slashing .333/.439/.394 with six RBI, three stolen bases and a 7:8 BB:K over 10 games. The strong stretch could see him get more at-bats at DH, as he did Saturday against the Nationals.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Plays huge role in win
Rotowire
Thaiss went 3-for-5 with a double, five RBI and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 10-7 win over the Rockies.
Thaiss had a two-run double in the third inning, a two-run single in the fourth and an RBI single in the eighth. He also logged his first two steals of the campaign. Prior to Tuesday, Thaiss hadn't done much of anything well -- he entered the contest with just seven RBI all year. He's slashing .253/.347/.373 with one home run, 12 RBI, eight runs scored, seven doubles and two steals through 95 plate appearances. He's played roughly once a week in July, so Logan O'Hoppe figures to remain in a starting role behind the dish.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Fills in for resting O'Hoppe
Rotowire
Thaiss will start at catcher and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
Thaiss will step in behind the plate for the series finale while top backstop Logan O'Hoppe rests for the day game after catching all nine innings of Tuesday's 5-1 win. Expect Thaiss' opportunities to remain fairly limited moving forward while O'Hoppe continues to handle one of the heavier workloads among all catchers.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Getting start with O'Hoppe resting
Rotowire
Thaiss will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Athletics.
With top backstop Logan O'Hoppe getting a rare day off, Thaiss will start for just the fifth time in June. Thaiss' playing time will likely remain fairly limited throughout the season if O'Hoppe is able to stay healthy.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Slugs homer Sunday
Rotowire
Thaiss went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's loss to Cleveland.
Thaiss made the most of just his second start behind the plate over the past week, walloping a 446-foot two-run shot in the fifth inning for his first homer of the campaign. The veteran is firmly behind 24-year-old backstop Logan O'Hoppe on the catching depth chart -- Thaiss has only 46 plate appearances on the season to O'Hoppe's 172. When he has played, Thaiss has mostly struggled, slashing .200/.304/.350 with a 32.6 percent strikeout rate.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: On bench again Wednesday
Rotowire
Thaiss is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
Even with the Angels playing a day game after a night game, No. 1 catcher Logan O'Hoppe will remain behind the dish for the second day in a row while Thaiss sticks on the bench. Though he was able to secure the backup catcher job coming out of spring training, Thaiss doesn't look as though he'll play much more than once or twice a week while O'Hoppe is healthy. Through the Angels' first six games, Thaiss has made only one start.
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Angels' Matt Thaiss: Clubs ninth homer
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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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
