ANAHEIM — Angels manager Ron Washington will miss the rest of the season because of an unspecified medical issue, the team said Friday.
Washington, the oldest manager in the major leagues at 73, has been sidelined for the past week. He experienced shortness of breath and appeared fatigued toward the end of a four-game series at the New York Yankees that ended on June 19. He flew back to Southern California, underwent a series of tests and was placed on medical leave.
While Washington’s specific issue remains unclear, General Manager Perry Minasian said he talked to him three times Friday, that he is “in good spirits” and the health news is “fortunate.”
“He knows what he needs to do, and from a health standpoint, he knows how to get better,” Minasian said.
“And 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 – we all know that. There’s certain people that are just different, special, whatever term you want to use. … When I see him, my day is better, and when I talk to him, my day is better.”
Bench coach Ray Montgomery, who had been filling in for Washington, was named interim manager, and infield coach Ryan Goins was promoted to bench coach.
Washington is 664-611 in 10 seasons as a major league manager, eight with Texas and two with the Angels.
He led the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011 before stepping down abruptly in September 2014. Washington returned to the sport as a coach with the the then-Oakland A’s and the Atlanta Braves, who won the World Series in 2021, before landing a second managerial job in Orange County.
The Angels were 40-40 entering Friday night’s game against the visiting Washington Nationals, winning three straight under Montgomery and seven of 10 overall. The Angels have played better than most expected from a team with major league-worst streaks of nine straight losing seasons and 10 straight non-playoff seasons.
The 55-year-old Montgomery is getting his first job as a major league manager. The native of New York’s Westchester County is a former Houston Astros outfielder who served as the scouting director for Arizona and Milwaukee before joining the Angels as their director of player personnel for the 2020 season.
Montgomery became the Angels’ bench coach in 2021 after Minasian took over the front office, and he stayed with the Angels while Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin and Washington managed the club.
Goins played eight seasons in the major leagues before Washington hired him as the Angels’ infield coach before the 2024 season.
Much more to come on this story.
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