Angels Manager Ron Washington’s Sudden Medical Absence Sparks Questions and Concerns Ahead of Playoffs

Man, this one hits hard. Ron Washington, the seasoned skipper of the Los Angeles Angels, has been sidelined for the remainder of the season due to some undisclosed health concerns, the club announced just this past Friday. Washington, standing tall as the oldest manager in the majors at 73, has already been out of action for about a week now. He started feeling unusually short of breath and visibly drained toward the tail end of the Angels’ recent grind at Yankee Stadium, wrapping up that tough four-game stretch on June 19. Without missing a beat, Washington returned to Southern California for a battery of tests before being officially placed on medical leave. That’s a tough pill for any organization to swallow, especially with a veteran presence like his suddenly out of the dugout.

Stepping into the breach has been bench coach Ray Montgomery, who’s been holding down the fort over the past week and was formally named interim manager. Meanwhile, Ryan Goins, previously the infield coach, is moving up to take Montgomery’s old spot on the bench. Washington’s managerial résumé isn’t just a long list of years—it’s the story of 664 wins and 611 losses over a decade in the big leagues, most notably with the Texas Rangers before his recent stint with the Angels.

Remember, Ron took the Rangers to back-to-back World Series battles in 2010 and 2011, before his rather sudden departure in 2014. After some time coaching with the Athletics and the Braves—yes, that 2021 World Series-winning Atlanta team—he found his way back to managing, this time on the West Coast. The Angels, at .500 (40-40) going into Friday night’s clash with the Nationals, have actually looked sharper than some expected, riding a bit of a hot streak with three straight wins since Montgomery took the helm.

As for Montgomery, this is his first crack at managing at the Major League level—a New York Westchester County native with an intriguing past as a Houston Astros outfielder and seasoned scouting director for Arizona and Milwaukee. Since joining the Angels’ front office in 2020 as director of player personnel, he climbed to bench coach in 2021 under new GM Perry Minasian and has been part of the staff through multiple managerial changes—including Joe Maddon and Phil Nevin before Washington’s second tenure.

Don’t overlook Ryan Goins either—the guy logged eight seasons as a player in the majors before joining the Angels’ coaching ranks just this year. It’s a shake-up, no doubt, but these moves might just inject a new energy into a team desperate to break out of its long playoff drought.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington will miss the rest of the season because of an unspecified medical issue, the team said Friday.

Washington, the oldest manager in the major leagues at 73, has been sidelined for the past week.

He experienced shortness of breath and appeared fatigued toward the end of a four-game series at the New York Yankees that ended on June 19. Washington flew back to Southern California, underwent a series of tests and was placed on medical leave.

Angels bench coach Ray Montgomery, who has filled in for Washington for the past week, was named interim manager. Infield coach Ryan Goins was promoted to bench coach.

Washington is 664-611 in 10 seasons as a major league manager, eight with Texas and two with Los Angeles.

He led the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011 before stepping down abruptly in September 2014. Washington returned to the sport as a coach with the Athletics and the Atlanta Braves, who won the World Series in 2021, before landing a second managerial job in Orange County.

The Angels were 40-40 entering Friday night’s game against the visiting Washington Nationals, winning three straight under Montgomery and seven of 10 overall. Los Angeles has played better than most expected from a team with major league-worst streaks of nine straight losing seasons and 10 straight non-playoff seasons.

The 55-year-old Montgomery is getting his first job as a major league manager. The native of New York’s Westchester County is a former Houston Astros outfielder who served as the scouting director for Arizona and Milwaukee before joining the Angels as their director of player personnel for the 2020 season.

Montgomery became Los Angeles’ bench coach in 2021 after general manager Perry Minasian took over the front office, and he stayed with the Angels while Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin and Washington managed the club.

Goins played eight seasons in the major leagues before Washington hired him as the Angels’ infield coach before the 2024 season.