Angels place Dexter Fowler on IL with sprained knee, call up Jaime Barria

Dexter Fowler is heading to the injured list with a sprained knee. The Angels will call up Jaime Barria to take his roster spot, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.

Fowler hasn’t had a stellar first week in Los Angeles, slashing .250/.286/.250 in 21 plate appearances over his first seven games. Juan Lagares could see time in right while Fowler is on the shelf.

Alternatively, Jared Walsh or David Fletcher could move from the infield to the outfield. Either way, the Angels are going with just a three-man bench for the time being. The Angels’ 11 position players include Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols, neither of whom are expected in the field (except when Ohtani is pitching, of course).

Barria, 24, can serve as a long-man, which might be especially useful while Ohtani recovers from a blister. Barria has been a regular part of the Angels’ roster for the past three seasons, making 44 starts and eight appearances out of the bullpen. In total, he owns a 4.46 ERA/5.02 FIP across 244 1/3 innings with just a 35.7 percent groundball rate, 19.3 percent strikeout rate, and 8.0 percent walk rate. None of those rate metrics come across as particularly promising, but he’s managed to net 1.5 fWAR regardless.