Justin Upton to miss Angels Opening Day with toe injury

Angels outfielder Justin Upton will open the season on the injured list because of a sore right big toe.

Manager Brad Ausmus announced the injury Tuesday. He says Upton has “turf toe” and that no timetable has been determined for his return. Upton was injured in Sunday’s exhibition game against the Los Angeles Dodgers when he bumped into the left field wall while chasing a flyball.

#Angels GM Billy Eppler says Justin Upton is “probably” going to start the year on the DL. They are still waiting on more info to determine how long he’ll be out. He hurt his big toe running into the wall Sunday.

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) March 26, 2019

Upton had just returned after missing most of spring training because of right knee tendinitis.

Ausmus said Peter Bourjos will likely see more playing time until Upton returns, but he is still waiting to solidify a plan moving forward.

Upton, 31, hit 30 home runs with 85 RBIs over 145 games last season, his second with the Angels.

The Angels also announced Tuesday that right-hander Jaime Barria will start the season at Triple-A Salt Lake. Barria was 10-9 over 26 starts as a rookie last season, posting a 3.41 ERA.

The Angels also got closer to a final bullpen with the announcement that left-hander Dan Jennings had been released.