Angels right-hander Jered Weaver, who had trouble reaching 80 miles per hour with his fastball Wednesday, reported having neck soreness today and has been sent for what the team is calling a “precautionary” MRI exam.
Weaver throwing in the high-70s and low-80s isn’t as worrisome as it would be with nearly any other pitcher because his velocity has been in decline for years now and he worked in the mid-80s for much of last season. However, it’s also easy to see why the Angels are cautious with his health in general.
Along with the low velocity reading Weaver served up three homers to the Dodgers on Wednesday and is coming off a career-worst 4.64 ERA and career-low 5.1 strikeouts per nine innings last year. He’s only 33 years old, but Weaver’s career may be at a crossroads.
