Angels prospect Jo Adell making solid progress in rehabilitating injuries

Reporting from Chicago —  Top Angels prospect Jo Adell has progressed steadily since sustaining lower body injuries during a spring training game in early March. He has been taking swings in the last two weeks and feeling great, assistant general manager Steve Martone said Saturday.

Adell strained his left hamstring as he tried to go from first to third base on a single in a split-squad game March 9. He also sprained his right ankle when he tried to stop his momentum. An MRI revealed that the ankle sprain was worse than the hamstring injury.

The Angels expected it would take 10 to 12 weeks for Adell to return to action in the minor leagues. The minor league outfielder hasn’t yet taken batting practice against pitchers or played in games, but the Angels are encouraged by the pace of his recovery.

Adell was fitted with crutches and a walking boot but was out of them before the Angels broke spring training camp March 23.

Adell, who turned 20 on April 8, is by some estimations one of the top 10 prospects in baseball. He was projected to start the season at double-A Mobile. If he had continued on his upward trajectory — Adell hit a combined .290 with an .890 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 99 games at three levels last year — he might have made a good case for a September call-up.

That possibility might be out of reach now.

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When he last spoke to reporters a month ago in Tempe, Ariz., Adell was confident the Angels’ recovery plan would help him return to playing form with plenty of time to put together a decent campaign for his second full professional season.

“For me, it’s just a minor setback,” Adell said. “I’m going to be in here every day working, trying to get back. The team is great. They’re going to have a plan for me and they already do. I’ll be back before you know it and be ready to roll.”

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