Ron Washington will not manage the Angels for an indefinite period of time due to a health concern, reports Sam Blum of The Athletic. He will attend tonight’s game against the Astros and will watch from the suite. Bench coach Ray Montgomery will manage for however long Washington is unavailable.
Shortly before reporting the news on Washington, Blum noted that the Angels were holding a players-only meeting. GM Perry Minasian is expected to address the media shortly. Mike DiGiovanna relayed a comment from Minasian that Washington has not felt well for the past few days.
Washington, 73, is in his second season leading the Halos. They lost a franchise-record 99 games a year ago but have been far more competitive this season. They’re taking a 36-38 record into this weekend’s set against Houston. They’re in third place in the AL West, 6.5 games back of the Astros. They’re only two games out in what remains a jumbled Wild Card picture. Their -60 run differential is fourth-worst in the American League, but only the White Sox and A’s seem firmly out of the race in the AL.
Montgomery has been the Halos’ bench coach since 2022. He has held the position under each of Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin and Washington. Montgomery spent some time as acting manager during the ’22 campaign when Nevin was suspended for 10 games for his role in a benches-clearing brawl against the Mariners. The 55-year-old has never held a full managerial position but has been mentioned as a candidate in the past — including during the 2023 hiring process that eventually led to Washington. MLBTR sends best wishes to Wash on a speedy recovery.
