Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (hamstring) is absent from the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays due to hamstring tightness. Jack Mayfield will be covering right field in the game and Brandon Marsh will be slotting in as the team's leadoff hitter. According to Angels beat reporter Rhett Bollinger, Ward stated that he thinks he will only need one day off with the ailment. Ward reportedly felt the tightness while rounding third base in the ninth inning of Sunday's game. The 28-year-old has been absolutely on fire at the plate so far this year. Through 22 games, he's slashing .364 .490/.675 with six home runs, 15 RBI and 20 runs scored. His 1.165 OPS leads the majors and he's second in the MLB in batting average behind Manny Machado. Hopefully we'll see Ward back in the leadoff spot on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward went 0-for-1 with three walks and a run scored in the Angels' 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday. Ward has been a fixture atop the Angels' lineup so far in 2022 and his breakout is looking more legitimate as the season moves on. Over 69 at-bats, Ward is slashing an impressive .362/.488/.710 with six homers, 15 RBI, 19 runs scored, and one stolen base. While his ratios are unsustainable, he continues to get the job done as the Angels' leadoff hitter, setting the table for Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and the rest of the Angels lineup. Ward, a first-round draft pick in 2015, had previously played in parts of four different MLB seasons before 2022. It appears he is finally putting it all together and should be immediately scooped up in any sleepwalking leagues where he isn't already rostered.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward is not in the starting lineup against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. It will be Ward's first day off since he returned from the injured list on April 16. He went 0-for-3 on Tuesday, but he still leads the league with a .371 batting average, .480 on-base percentage, .710 slugging percentage, 1.190 OPS and a 248 OPS+ through 17 games. The 28-year-old has added five home runs, 13 RBI and 16 runs scored in 75 plate appearances. Brandon Marsh will take his spot in right field and hit leadoff against Red Sox right-hander Garrett Whitlock, while Jose Rojas draws a start in left field and will bat sixth on Wednesday. Marsh, who has two homers, 15 RBI and three stolen bases himself, will be a nice DFS asset out of the leadoff spot.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward will serve as the team's leadoff hitter for the first time this year on Monday against Shane Bieber and the Cleveland Guardians. Shohei Ohtani, who has been the team's primary leadoff hitter this year, is batting second on Monday. Ward was sidelined for about a week to start the season due to a groin injury. He made his season debut on April 16 and has been a fixture on the base paths ever since. He's played in eight games this year and he has an on-base percentage of .528, mostly thanks to his whopping 27.8% walk rate.

The Los Angeles Angels are expecting outfielder Taylor Ward (groin) to be activated from the injured list when he's eligible this weekend, according to head athletic trainer Mike Frostad. Starting pitcher Griffin Canning (back) is also expected to throw off a mound during the team's upcoming trip. Ward began the regular season on the injured list with a strained left groin, but he should be back in the lineup soon. The 28-year-old was previously expected to be the team's starting right fielder, but the Angels may choose to ease him back into an everyday workload. Ward hit .250/.332/.438 with eight home runs, 33 RBI and 33 runs scored in 237 plate appearances over 65 games in his fourth season with the Angels in 2021.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (groin), who was placed on the 10-day injured list to begin the season, is dealing with a left groin strain. It's unclear how serious the injury is or when Ward suffered the injury. Ward likely would have been in the Opening Day lineup on Thursday night against the Houston Astros had he been healthy. The 28-year-old hit .250/.332/.438 with a career-high eight home runs, 33 RBI and 33 runs scored in 237 plate appearances over 65 games in his fourth season with the Angels in 2021. The Angels starting outfield to open the season will consist of Mike Trout, Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh.

The Los Angeles Angels have placed outfielder Taylor Ward (undisclosed) on the 10-day injured list. The transaction popped up on the MLB.com transactions page and it left the web questioning what transpired with the 28-year-old as no injury designation has been provided up to this point. Late Wednesday night, following the transaction, Angels beat writer Jeff Fletcher stated via Twitter that he was still trying to figure out what happened himself. However, Fletcher also added that Ward was removed from Tuesday night's Spring Training finale early, so this move to the injured list was likely related.