Richards, in his seventh season with the Angeles, who drafted the former Sooner pitcher in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft, is almost one-year removed from a partially torn right ulnar collateral ligament he suffered early in the 2016 season. He did not play again after May 1 last season.
The right-handed Angels starter elected not to have Tommy John elbow surgery, instead choosing to go with a stem-cell injection. The Angels are bringing him along slowly in spring training to see how his arm responds, and he told USA Today’s Sports Weekly that he expects to be limited to 100 pitches for each regular season start.