"When one goes down, another has to step up" - Ron Washington issues rally cry after Robert Stephenson's season-ending injury

The 2024 MLB season has been marked by a significant uptick in injuries to pitchers and Los Angeles Angels' Robert Stephenson became the latest addition to the long list of players sidelined for the season.

Stephenson was the Angels' marquee signing during the offseason as they shelled $33 million on a three-year contract for the veteran reliever.

However, Angels fans were dealt a huge blow on Wednesday when the team announced Stephenson's elbow injury following a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. While the 31-year-old's injury has escalated Angels' bullpen worries, manager Ron Washington believes the team can cope.

“It’s very disappointing,” manager Ron Washington said to reporters. “It’s certainly a huge void we have in our bullpen. But I think our guys are learning to pick up each other and that’s what we need. When one person goes down, another has to step up. But it’s a big void.”

Stephenson is scheduled to undergo an elbow surgery later this month, ruling him out for the entire 2024 season. While the team has yet to announce the surgery details, Stephenson is likely to be ready for the start of the 2025 season.

Robert Stephenson's contract has an option for an additional year if the pitcher sustained an elbow injury sidelining him for 130 consecutive days.

Ron Washington maps strategy to cope with Robert Stephenson's absence

The Los Angeles Angels bullpen has been marred with some of the most inconsistent arms in recent seasons and Robert Stephenson's lengthy absence further compounds Ron Washington's headache.

Washington believes that the starting pitchers must contribute to the team's cause to help ease the pressure on the relievers. The Angels manager wants the starters to prolong their starts and keep the hitters at bay until the sixth or seventh inning to ease the task for the bullpen.

“The [relievers] have fared very well but I think we’re going to need to take the load off them because we can’t keep this up,” Washington said. “We’re trying to put some pressure on our starting pitchers to go out there and pound that strike zone and get to the sixth or seventh inning.

It will be interesting to see if the Angels can tackle this adversity and achieve their ambitions of making the postseason. At 9-10 and third in the AL West, they have everything to play for.