David Fletcher’s return from IL still in question

David Fletcher hasn’t played since August 30 due to an ankle injury. Angels manager Joe Maddon still isn’t sure as to when he will be activated, but he said he’s doing well.

“I always hate to give you guys a finish line until I’m sure,” Maddon said. “He’s progressing well. I haven’t heard anything negative from the training staff indicating it’ll be longer. I’ll try and find out more.”

Prior to his injury, Fletcher was the best hitter on the club. He was hitting .313 and had an American League leading 45 hits at the time.

News and notes

• Max Stassi was reinstated from the injured list and José Briceño was optioned. Briceño left a strong impression on Maddon, as the Halos manager called him a ‘big-league catcher’. “My impressions are strong, I like him,” Maddon said. “He made an impression with Bundy. He was very complimentary. I’m just watching from the side. This guy is definitely not afraid. He has a great feel for the position. He’s a competitor. I like him, he’s a big-league catcher and that was obvious to me.”

Stassi returns after missing nearly three weeks. He last played on August 20. After getting off to a hot start for the Angels, the catcher has struggled over his last eight games, hitting only .143 with more strikeouts than hits. Hopefully he can bounce back and be a much-needed bat in the Angels’ lineup.

• Maddon said he’s been really impressed and proud of what Justin Upton has been doing over the last week at the plate. He said that he’s been a great teammate, and this is going to definitely help his confidence heading into the offseason. Over the last seven games, Upton is hitting .458 with an OPS of 1.369 with two homers and seven RBI.