Angels transfer Richards to 60-day DL after discovering nerve irritation

Garrett Richards' troublesome biceps issue will sideline him much longer than the Los Angeles Angels had hoped, as the team announced Saturday it transferred the right-hander from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day after a recent exam discovered irritation in the cutaneous nerve.

Though the assessment revealed the nerve irritation was contributing to a strength deficit, the Angels announced the starter has shown a mild strength improvement.

Richards appeared in one game this season, an April 5 start against the Oakland Athletics. He left that outing early with cramps in his biceps, however, and the club later placed him on the 10-day disabled list with a strain.

After tearing his ulnar collateral ligament in 2016, Richards elected not to take the traditional route of Tommy John surgery, which would have likely sidelined him until at least 2018. Instead, the 28-year-old chose to undergo a new stem-cell treatment in his elbow, which allowed him to return to the mound to begin the 2017 season.