Los Angeles Angels’ Manager Ron Washington To Miss Rest Of Season

Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington will miss the rest of the 2025 season while on medical leave for an unspecified condition.

Angels bench coach Ray Montgomery was named the interim manager for the remainder of the year, general manager Perry Minasian said.

A baseball “lifer” who is considered one of the best infield instructors in the game, Washington left the Angels last weekend after experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath toward the end a four-game series against the New York Yankees that concluded June 19.

Washington underwent testing after returning to Southern California and subsequently was placed on medical leave June 20.

Washington is “in good spirits,” Minasian told the Orange County (Calif.) Register on Friday, saying that he had spoken to Washington three times that during the day.

Washington, 73, is the oldest manager in the majors.

“He understands what needs to be done (but) I’m not going to go into details, Minasian told reporters before Friday’s game against the Washington Nationals.

“That’s for him to tell if he decides to. For me, I’m excited for him to do what he needs to do. Forget about the baseball stuff, just get healthy because he’s a great human being. And anybody that’s around him on a daily basis, he’s somebody that you want around, right? So we’re going to miss him.”

Montgomery, 55, has an extensive professional resume, and this will be his first managerial job.

The Angels are 4-2 since Montgomery took over for Washington last week, and they entered Friday’s game on a three-game winning streak, extending a strong run that began during Washington’s last few games.

While not projected to be a strong contender in the American League West, the Angels have won seven of their last 10 and were 40-40, one game out of the final AL wild card spot as the midway point approached.

The Angels made only limited changes in the offseason after going a franchise-worst 63-99 in 2024 in their first year without Shohei Ohtani. Their biggest additions were closer Kenley Jansen and starter Kyle Hendricks while banking Mike Trout’s return to health.

They have nine straight losing seasons and 10 straight seasons without making the playoffs, the longest active streaks in both areas.

Washington is 767-750 in 10 seasons as a major league manager, the last two with the Angeles following an eight-year run with the Texas Rangers that included back-to-back World Series appearances in 2011-12.

He was the third base coach with the Oakland A’s for 13 seasons before and after his tenure in Texas that ended 2014, and he also served six seasons as the third base coach in Atlanta before taking the Angels’ job in 2023.

“In my opinion, and I think a lot of people’s opinion, the game of baseball is 1,000 times better when Ron Washington’s part of it on a daily basis – we all know that,” Minasian told the Register.

“There are certain people that are just different, special, whatever term you want to use. … When I see him, my day is better, and when I talk to him, my day is better. He knows what he needs to do, and from a health standpoint, he knows how to get better.”

Montgomery worked as the scouting director for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers before becoming the Angels’ player personnel director in 2020.

He became the bench coach in 2021 when Minasian took over as general manager, and served in that capacity while Joe Maddon and Phil Nevin were the managers before Washington.

Ryan Goins, who played eight seasons in the majors was promoted to bench coach after joining the Angels as the infield coach in 2024.