33 Max Stassi C

Stassi (hip) signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Angels on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Stassi will double the $800,000 contract he signed in January of 2020. The raise is well-earned, as he's coming off a year in which he hit .278/.352/.533, albeit in a small sample of 105 plate appearances. He appears set to split time behind the plate in 2021 with Kurt Suzuki, who was signed as a free agent Friday.

Stassi recently underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip.

The 29-year-old had a strong 2020 campaign with a .278/.352/533 slash line and seven homers in 31 games, and it wasn't known he was dealing with the injury until undergoing an MRI at the close of the season. The typical return game is 4-to-6 months, so if his recovery timeline goes on the long end of that spectrum, he may not be ready for the start of the 2021 season.

Stassi is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Anthony Bemboom will take over behind the plate as Stassi sits for the Angels' final game of 2020. Stassi had a great showing, offensively, in 105 plate appearances around a knee injury and projects to open 2021 as the primary catcher barring any offseason additions.

Stassi is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Stassi will receive a breather one day after turning in his best game of the season in Tuesday's 4-2 win, during which he went 4-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Anthony Bemboom will draw the starting nod behind the dish Wednesday, but Stassi should be back as the Angels' starting catcher in Friday's series opener against the Dodgers.

Stassi went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI to lead the Angels to a victory over San Diego on Tuesday.

Stassi supplied most of the offense in the 4-2 win, smashing a solo homer in the second inning and slugging a two-run shot in the sixth. The performance gives him seven long balls on the season, just one shy of his career-high mark set in over 150 fewer at-bats with Houston two seasons ago. Stassi's four-hit game also helped him raise his batting average 37 points to .293.

Stassi went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Monday's 8-5 victory over the Rangers.

Stassi picked up an RBI after grounding into a double play in the second inning, and he plated a run in the fourth on a single to left field. The backstop is putting together a solid season by his standards, slashing .256/.344/.462 with five homers and 17 RBI through 27 contests. He finished with a .136/.211/.167 line through 51 games a season ago.

Stassi is not in the lineup Sunday against Texas, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Stassi started the first two games of the series but will take a seat after going 0-for-6 with four strikeouts and a walk. Anthony Bemboom will catch for Julio Teheran on Sunday.

Stassi is out of the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Stassi started the past four games and receives the day off after going 5-for-14 with one homer, one double, three RBI and three walks. Anthony Bemboom takes over behind the plate for the Halos.

Stassi went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in Wednesday's loss against Arizona.

Stassi dealt with an injury that kept him out for around two weeks and only returned from the injured list earlier this month. The 29-year-old catcher posted his first three-hit performance of the season and has now hit safely in his last three appearances, boosting his average to a respectable .265 with a .854 OPS in the process. This was his fifth homer of the season.

Stassi is not in the lineup Friday against Colorado.

Stassi went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and a walk Thursday and will take a seat for Friday's contest. Anthony Bemboom will start behind the plate in the series opener.

Stassi is not in the lineup Wednesday at Texas, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi started the past two games after returning from the injured list over the weekend, and he'll receive the day off Wednesday. Anthony Bemboom takes over behind the plate for the Angels.

Stassi went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored twice in a victory over Houston on Sunday.

Stassi was activated from the injured list Sunday and immediately slotted into the sixth spot in the batting order. He produced a pair of singles and crossed the plate twice to help the Halos to their fifth straight win. With Jason Castro now in San Diego, Stassi figures to get the bulk of playing time at backstop over the final month of the season. He's enjoying a productive year, slashing .271/.357/.878 with four home runs in 56 plate appearances.

Stassi (quadriceps) was activated from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

A foul ball off Stassi's right knee put the skids on the catcher's hot start -- he has an .838 OPS and four homers through 18 games. His track record says it's fluky, but the playing time should be there at least. Stassi figures to take over as the Angels' primary catcher with Jason Castro traded and Jose Briceno sent down.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said Monday that Stassi (quadriceps, knee) is "somewhat close" to being activated from the 10-day injured list, but the skipper was unwilling to put a target date on the catcher's return, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Stassi is recovering from a right quad strain and a bruised right knee, injuries he sustained when he fouled a ball off himself in an Aug. 20 game. His absence looms larger after the Angels traded top catcher Jason Castro to the Padres on Sunday, so journeyman Anthony Bemboom looks poised to serve as the team's primary option behind the dish until Stassi is ready to go. Based on Maddon's comments, Stassi seems likely to remain out at least until the weekend.

Stassi (knee) was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stassi took a foul ball off the knee Thursday and suffered a right knee contusion that forced him out of the contest. The injury is serious enough to warrant a stay on the injured list, and it's unclear whether he'll have to spend longer than the minimum of 10 days sidelined. Jason Castro could see the bulk of the action at catcher if he's fully healthy, but Anthony Bemboom could see a slight uptick in playing time as well.

Stassi left Thursday's game against the giants with a right knee contusion.

Stassi exited after taking a ball off his knee while catching in the second inning. He was replaced by Anthony Bemboom. X-rays on Stassi's knee came back negative, although it isn't known if he'll be forced to miss any time beyond Thursday.

Stassi will start at catcher and will bat eighth Sunday against the Dodgers.

Stassi, who is batting .243 with four home runs and 10 RBI on the season, will get a third straight start while top backstop Jason Castro deals with a neck injury. The Angels are viewing Castro as day-to-day for now, but if he fails to demonstrate any notable progress heading into Monday's series opener with the Giants, the veteran could be at risk of landing on the injured list.

Stassi went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in Thursday's win over Seattle.

Stassi plated the Angels' fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and provided a pair of insurance runs with a homer to left field in the eighth. The long ball was the fourth of the season for Stassi, tied for first among major-league catchers. The 29-year-old is already halfway to his career-high total of eight homers established in 2018.

Stassi went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a loss to Seattle on Wednesday.

Stassi provided the first run of the game with a 425-foot blast to center field in the third inning. The backstop has been a surprising source of power for the Angels this season, collecting three homers and six RBI in 18 at-bats. By comparison, Stassi hit only one long ball in 132 at-bats between the Astros and Angels in 2019.

Stassi went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 8-5 loss to the Mariners.

Stassi finally put the Angels on the board with his fifth-inning blast against Mariners starter Marco Gonzales. The catcher has now homered in each of his last two starts, accounting for all five of his RBI this season. Stassi will continue to split time with Jason Castro behind the dish.