Justin Upton (back) activated for Angels, starting Thursday

The Los Angeles Angels activated outfielder Justin Upton from the 10-day injured list for a lower back strain.

What It Means:

Upton missed a month with a lower back strain. He was slashing .247/.336/.480 with 14 home runs and 32 RBI before landing on the shelf. The 33-year-old veteran is returning to action on Thursday to play left field and hit third versus right-hander Kenta Maeda and the Minnesota Twins. The Angels optioned outfielder Taylor Ward to Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding roster move.

Upton is averaging 10.7 FanDuel points per start this season and he has a $3,000 salary on Thursday's slate. Maeda is registering a 25.0 strikeout percentage with a 7.6 walk percentage this season, per numberFire's MLB Heat Map.