Taylor Ward

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Hits first spring homer

  Rotowire Mar 24, 2025

  Ward went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Sunday in an exhibition loss to the Dodgers. Ward accounted for the Angels' only run of the game with his 399-foot solo shot to center field in the third inning. The veteran outfielder has gone deep just one time this spring, but he's hit well with a .275/.370/.425 slash line over 46 plate appearances. Ward batted leadoff Sunday, and it appears he'll open the campaign in that position in the batting order after primarily hitting third last season.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Starting Thursday

  Rotowire Mar 6, 2025

  Ward (knee) will serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff in Thursday's Cactus League game versus the Mariners. Knee soreness has prevented Ward from playing since Monday, though the 31-year-old said it's something he would have been playing through if it were the regular season. He now seems to be back to 100 percent and will look to continue what has been a solid start to spring training.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Expected back soon

  Rotowire Mar 4, 2025

  Ward is unconcerned about the knee soreness that kept him out of Monday's Cactus League game against the Rockies and said Tuesday that he expects to be back in game action soon, Jack Janes of TheSportingTribune.com reports. Ward added that he would have played Monday had it been a regular-season contest. He is out of the lineup again Tuesday versus the Guardians, but his return to game action appears imminent.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Day-to-day with knee soreness

  Rotowire Mar 3, 2025

  Ward is dealing with some knee soreness and is considered day-to-day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. The injury helps explain why he hasn't played in a Cactus League game since Friday. Given the day-to-day designation, Ward should be fine, barring any setbacks. He's projected as the Angels' everyday left fielder and likely leadoff hitter this season.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Will be among top three in lineup

  Rotowire Feb 14, 2025

  Angels manager Ron Washington said Friday that he envisions Ward, Mike Trout (knee) and Jorge Soler being his first three hitters in the lineup in some order, Sam Blum of The Athleticreports. Ward was the team's leadoff hitter for most of the final two months of last season, so he would seem likely to occupy that spot again, although Soler also batted leadoff some last year with the Giants and Atlanta. Washington did add a caveat that one of Ward, Trout or Soler could bat cleanup, so he hasn't written anything down in ink yet. Zach Neto (shoulder) is expected to begin the season on the injured list but will bat fifth or sixth upon his return, per Washington.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Avoids arbitration

  Rotowire Jan 9, 2025

  Ward and the Angels agreed to a one-year, $7.825 million contract Thursday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. Ward clubbed a career-high 25 homers last season and will receive a raise of just over $3 million for 2025, which is his penultimate year of arbitration eligibility. He's been a popular name in trade rumors over the past year, but for now it appears he'll be back with the Angels for Opening Day.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Clubs 25th homer

  Rotowire Sep 20, 2024

  Ward went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to Houston. Ward accounted for the Angels' only run with his 416-foot solo shot to lead off the game. The long ball was his 25th of the campaign -- the first time he has reached that mark as a big leaguer. Ward's leadoff homer Thursday was his fifth in his past 19 games. According to Angels Senior Communications Manager Matt Birch, the outfielder is the first player to have at least five leadoff home runs in a season for the team since Mike Trout in 2012.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Hits career-best 24th homer

  Rotowire Sep 16, 2024

  Ward went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Astros. A late surge has seen Ward slug seven homers over his last 15 games to give himself a career-best 24 long balls this season. He's hit safely in 10 of 13 games in September, going 15-for-46 (.326) in that span. The outfielder is up to a .246/.321/.437 slash line with 68 RBI, 70 runs scored, four stolen bases and 26 doubles over 143 contests this season, and he's regularly hit leadoff over the last month.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Matches career high in homers

  Rotowire Sep 11, 2024

  Ward went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Twins. Ward led off the game with a homer, his sixth in his last 12 games. In that span, he's gone 16-for-46 (.348) with eight RBI and 12 runs scored. The outfielder has matched his career high in homers (23) from the 2022 season, though his .758 OPS this year is a far cry from the .833 mark he posted in that campaign. Ward has added 67 RBI, 67 runs scored, four stolen bases, 26 doubles and two triples over 140 contests in 2024.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Homers again Saturday

  Rotowire Sep 8, 2024

  Ward went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Rangers. Ward led off the game with a homer against Jack Leiter to give the Angels an early lead. The long ball was his fifth over his past eight games, a span in which he's batting .313 (10-for-32) with seven extra-base hits, six RBI and eight runs. Ward is up to 22 home runs on the season, one shy of the career-high mark he set in 2022.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Stays red hot

  Rotowire Sep 5, 2024

  Ward went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional RBI, an additional run scored and a walk in Wednesday's 10-1 win over the Dodgers. Ward was the only Angel with multiple hits in the blowout win. He also homered for a third straight game, including both contests in this series versus the Dodgers. The outfielder's recent power surge has him up to 21 homers, 64 RBI and a .244/.315/.429 slash line over 133 contests. He's two homers shy of matching his career high from 2022 and continues to thrive in the leadoff role.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Productive in win

  Rotowire Sep 1, 2024

  Ward went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and a second run scored in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Mariners. Ward homered while leading off the bottom of the first inning for the second time in three games. He was also on base in the fifth when Anthony Rendon hit a two-run double that ended up being the difference in the contest. This was Ward's second multi-hit effort during his 12-game hitting streak, a span in which he's gone 14-for-47 (.298). The outfielder is up to 19 homers, 61 RBI, 58 runs scored, four stolen bases, 25 doubles and a .240/.311/.415 slash line through 131 contests overall.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Swats solo shot

  Rotowire Aug 31, 2024

  Ward went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-5 loss to the Mariners. The Angels were already behind 5-0 by the time Ward came to bat to lead off the bottom of the first inning. He started a decent comeback effort with his solo shot, but he went hitless in his last four at-bats of the game. The outfielder is hitting .282 (11-for-39) during a 10-game hitting streak, which has him up to a .238/.310/.406 slash line for the year. Ward has added 18 homers, 60 RBI, 56 runs scored, 23 doubles, two triples and four stolen bases over 129 contests.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Collects fourth steal

  Rotowire Aug 29, 2024

  Ward went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Tigers. Ward had a productive day against the Tigers, reaching base twice and swiping his fourth base of the season. Ward snapped a streak of 54 games without a stolen base, getting his first one since June 21. The 30-year-old has proven to be one of the Angels' most durable and consistent players this season, with 17 home runs and 59 RBI over 128 games.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Homers in loss

  Rotowire Aug 24, 2024

  Ward went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays. Ward provided the only offense for the Angels, ending Bowden Francis' no-hit bid with his first home run since July 28. The 30-year-old has hit safely in eight of 10 contests with three multi-hit efforts, though he hasn't contributed much else over that span. On the season, he is hitting .237 with 17 homers, 58 RBI and 53 runs scored across 524 plate appearances.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Moves to paternity list

  Rotowire Aug 6, 2024

  The Angels placed Ward on the paternity list Tuesday. Ward will step away from the team for a few days in order to be with his growing family. The 30-year-old should be back with the Angels for Friday's series opener at Washington.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Slugs grand slam Sunday

  Rotowire Jul 29, 2024

  Ward went 2-for-5 with a grand slam in an 8-6 win against Oakland on Sunday. Ward turned the tide of the contest in the fourth inning, belting a grand slam that turned a Los Angeles three-run deficit into a one-run lead. It was the outfielder's second homer in his past three contests following a 24-game stretch without a long ball. Ward has run hot and cold this season, and he's slashing .227/.309/.401 with 16 home runs, 51 RBI, 47 runs and three stolen bases through 433 plate appearances overall.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Returning to lineup

  Rotowire Jul 9, 2024

  Ward (knee) is starting in left field and batting third Tuesday versus the Rangers. Ward crashed into the Wrigley Field outfield wall in Sunday's loss to the Cubs, which resulted in some knee soreness. His knee felt better Monday and the outfielder is making his expected return Tuesday.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Expected back in action Tuesday

  Rotowire Jul 8, 2024

  Ward (knee) is not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Rangers, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports. Ward banged up his knee when he crashed into the outfield wall at Wrigley Field during Sunday's loss to the Cubs. He is feeling much better Monday and fully expects to return to the lineup Tuesday. Kevin Pillar will occupy left field Monday in Ward's stead.

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• Angels' Taylor Ward: Exits after being hit in head

  Rotowire Jun 30, 2024

  Ward (head) exited Sunday's game against the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth inning after being hit the in head by a pitch, Greg Beacham of The Associated Press reports. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his first three plate appearances of the day. Ward was struck in the head after a 93 mph fastball got away from reliever Shelby Miller. The outfielder looked to be OK after getting hit, with his removal from the contest potentially being a matter of precaution, according to Beacham. The 30-year-old missed the final three months of the 2023 campaign after being hit in the face by a pitch from Toronto starter Alek Manoah, making the situation Sunday particularly jarring. Ward's status will likely receive an update in the near future, but at the moment, he appears to have avoided any significant injury.

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