CLEVELAND -- Alex Meyer on Monday became the sixth Angels starter to land on the disabled list, but manager Mike Scioscia said the club is hopeful that Meyer will be able to avoid a lengthy absence once his right-shoulder inflammation subsides.
"It's something he had bouts with earlier in the year, and it flared up a little bit after his last start," Scioscia said Tuesday before the Angels' series opener against the Indians at Progressive Field. "But I think all the tests he had done point to the fact that hopefully he'll be back in a reasonable amount of time. We'll just let it calm down and get him back out there."
Meyer, 27, has previously dealt with shoulder issues over his career and also missed time earlier this season with back spasms. The right-hander is 4-5 with a 3.74 ERA over 13 starts in 2017 and delivered the best outing of his career on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk over seven scoreless innings against the Nationals.
The Angels' rotation has been hit hard by injuries this season, as Meyer joins Garrett Richards, Matthew Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano on the disabled list. With Monday's off-day, the Halos will not have to fill Meyer's spot in the rotation until Saturday in Toronto.
Scioscia said the Halos are currently mulling their options to replace Meyer. Skaggs, who has made two rehab starts in the Minor Leagues, is not in the mix, as the Angels believe he needs more time to return to form before he's activated.
"We feel Tyler needs to continue to get his work done and continue to move forward down there," Scioscia said. "He's not quite ready."
The Angels could turn to one of their Triple-A starters, such as right-hander Daniel Wright, on Saturday, though Scioscia said a bullpen game is also possible.
Cowart recalled
In a corresponding roster move, the Angels called up switch-hitting infielder Kaleb Cowart from Triple-A Salt Lake for the second time this season and had him start at second base on Tuesday. Cowart, who went 2-for-3 against the Red Sox in a one-game stint with the Angels on June 25, was batting .311 with 25 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs and 57 RBIs in 90 games at Salt Lake this year.
Cowart, 25, is a natural third baseman, but he's begun learning second and said he's feeling more comfortable at the position after logging 35 starts there in the Minors. Cowart can also play first base, though Scioscia said he'll primarily get a look at second for now.
"We're going to try to mix Kaleb in as much as we can," Scioscia said. "He can play [more than one position], so that will help, but right now he's going to get an opportunity at second base."
Angels second basemen have combined to post a .530 OPS this season, the worst mark in the Majors. After releasing Danny Espinosa last week, the Halos had tried to squeeze more production out of the position by platooning Nick Franklin and Cliff Pennington. Franklin is batting .087 (2-for-23) in 11 games with the Angels, while Pennington is hitting .246 over 53 games.