Angels' Sam Bachman: Opening season at Double-A

Bachman missed the first month of the minor-league campaign due to back spasms but is slated to kick off his season with Double-A Rocket City, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After being taken by the Angels with the ninth pick in the 2021 first-year player draft, Bachman pitched at the High-A level last season, posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB across 14.1 innings over five starts. He's been sidelined due to back spams for nearly a month, though his placement on the injured list was described as precautionary. It's unclear when his first outing with Rocket City will take place, but the decision to send him to the Double-A club suggests that his activation is imminent.