A week after he stepped away from managerial duties indefinitely, the Angels announced Friday that manager Ron Washington will remain on leave for the rest of the season because of an undisclosed health issue.
Washington, 73, was placed on leave after he experienced shortness of breath and fatigue at the end of the Angels’ four-game series against the Yankees in New York on June 19.
“The fortunate part is he knows what he needs to do, and from a health standpoint, he knows how to get better,” said Angels general manager Perry Minasian, who did not offer specifics on Washington’s condition. “In my opinion, and I think a lot of people’s opinion, the game of baseball is 1,000 times better when Ron Washington’s part of it on a daily basis.”
Bench coach Ray Montgomery will continue to serve as the interim manager, the Angels announced, while infield coach Ryan Goins will take over bench coach duties from Montgomery.
Coming off a dismal 63-99 season, the Angels entered Friday 40-40 on the season and 7½ games behind first-place Houston. Minasian credited Washington for the team’s improved performance.
“You see players in teams take the personality of the manager, and I believe this team has done that this season,” Minasian said. “We’ve been through some ups and downs. We keep fighting every night. It’s a resilient bunch. We play to last out as hard as possible. And I think that’s a lot of credit to that. A majority of credit to that should go to Ron, what he’s instituted here, and what he preaches on a daily basis.”
Montgomery said he will determine the starting lineups moving forward. He previously had been texting the lineups to Washington and receiving his input. Montgomery does not expect to stop reaching out to Washington for feedback.
Montgomery is in his fifth year with the Angels, spanning the managerial tenures of Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin and Washington. The Angels are 4-2 since he assumed interim managerial duties.
Although Washington won’t be managing the Angels again this season, Minasian did not rule out Washington returning in some capacity with the team.
Washington is in the final season of a two-year contract with the Angels, who hold an option for 2026.
“The focus is on Wash, and making sure that he gets what he needs right now,” Montgomery said. “I think the guys are fine. I think they’re going to adjust and adapt and go and it’s sort of like a transactional thing, right? So the responsibility for them is to continue doing what they’re doing.”
Angels players found out about Washington’s extended medical leave during a team meeting in the clubhouse before Friday’s game against the Washington Nationals.
“Obviously, we want him here, but we want him getting better,” Angels star Mike Trout said. “So praying for him, thinking about him, keep playing strong for him.”
For the young Angels’ core, it was a stark moment.
“He’s got 26 sons in here, so that’s a lot to juggle if we’re all texting at the same time,” catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “We haven’t talked to him much individually but he knows they’re thinking about him.”
Shortstop Zach Neto, playing in his second full MLB season, had become close with Washington last year. He plays middle infield, an area where Washington had become known as a guru on the diamond, teaching players how to better improve their fielding mechanics.
Washington and Neto would often sit next to each other during games, with the 24-year-old picking his manager’s brain for advice. O’Hoppe said he’d sometimes wander into Washington’s office and banter with the man whose coaching experience spans four franchises since 1996.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs, but a lot of learning lessons in between those,” Neto said when asked about what he’s learned from Washington. “And just being able to become a man, you know, owning up to my mistakes and just be able to flush it and keep moving on.”
Neto said he’ll have to “find somebody new to pick on” during the games.
“It’s those little moments that you look back at from years after, when the season’s over and you’re like, man, ‘what could have those conversations been?’” Neto said.
Reporting intern Ira Gorawara contributed to this report.
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