The Angels placed infielder Luis Rengifo on the 15-day injured list earlier today with a bicep tendon rupture. As noted by The Athletic’s Sam Blum, Rengifo will not return in 2023 but figures to be ready for Spring Training in 2024, as Rengifo himself told reporters that he hopes to be fully recovered by the end of the calendar year. Right-hander Gerardo Reyes replaced Rengifo on the active roster.
It’s yet another in a long line of brutal injuries for the Angels this season, as virtually every key position player has spent significant time on the injured list except for Shohei Ohtani, who had his season on the mound end prematurely due to a UCL injury. While the Angels have been in a tailspin ever since the calendar flipped to August, Rengifo has been a rare bright spot for the club over the past few weeks. While the 26-year-old entered the month of July slashing a dismal .202/.292/.298 on the season, he’s been on fire ever since with a fantastic .327/.388/.592 slash line in 219 trips to the plate since the start of July. Over that 56-game stretch, Rengifo sports a strikeout rate of just 18.3% and 25 extra base hits including 12 home runs.
Rengifo’s torrid second half has lifted his season numbers up to a respectable .264/.339/.444 that’s 13% better than league average by measure of wRC+. While Rengifo has mostly played second base and shortstop in his career, he was used as something of a swiss-army knife by the Angels this year and received reps at third base and all three outfield spots in addition to his usual positions. While defensive metrics haven’t been kind to Rengifo this season, his breakout with the bat in recent months combined with his ability to play almost anywhere on the diamond makes him a huge asset for the Angels as they look ahead to the 2024 season. Rengifo, who made $2.3MM this year in his first trip through arbitration, is under club control for the next two seasons.
With Rengifo, Gio Urshela, Anthony Rendon, and Zack Neto all on the injured list, the Halos are currently relying on 21-year-old rookie Kyren Paris at shortstop while utilizing Brandon Drury, Eduardo Escobar, Mike Moustakas and 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel to mix and match throughout the rest of the infield. The club’s position player group has been stretched particularly thin in recent days thanks to the absences of Ohtani and outfielder Mickey Moniak, both of whom have been considered day-to-day for several days at this point.
As for Reyes, the 30-year-old righty sports a 7.45 ERA and 6.36 FIP in 9 2/3 innings of work with Anaheim this year, with similarly rough figures at the Triple-A level. In 36 innings of work with the club’s Salt Lake City affiliate, Reyes has mustered a 6.25 ERA with an elevated 12.3% walk rate. Nonetheless, he’ll offer the club pitching depth as they finish out the remainder of the 2023 campaign.
His offense has been improved since he batted in front of Ohtani. His defense is still terrible.
Imagine if he were a dodger. Better health staff. Better training. More winning
Yeah, the Dodgers were dumb enough to want to trade for him. He has been remarkably and tragically healthy for a long time!
He was getting too good lately, and the Angels had to get back under their quota of only being allowed one good player at a time.
Angels can’t win
Angels
How can this happen to the original Hulk?!
Brutal injury on the on deck circle is the most Angels thing ever.
I don’t know what’s more annoying, the bees beads question in chats or mlb trade rumors constant need to explain wRC+.
Wow ouch
When it rains, it pours.
Am i the only one but everytime i see renfirigo i keep thinking its rob refsnyder.
(Angels) Outfielder Ken Hunt broke his collarbone while swinging a bat in the on-deck circle late in spring training in 1962.Bradley, Mickey and Gordon, Dan, Haunted Baseball, Lyons Press, 2007.
He has improved so much this season. This is sad. It won’t impact the team in any way down the stretch anyway, so let him heal up and come back healthy for spring training.
So glad Minasian had the sense to jettison Fletcher and keep Rengifo as the utility guy.
An observation. If Anderson had pitched as well all season as he did tonight, the Angels are probably fighting for a playoff spot right now.
BTW, he is now the 29th different Angels player to spend time on the IL.
The angels better hire a new training staff. This is just too weird. Outside Rendon and Trout actually getting hurt in a game. These other injuries are result of the training staff NOT preparing this team properly. C’mon they play in the best climate. It’s virtually the same temperature 90% of the season. Unlike the teams back east that play in that insufferable heat. And other teams play in frigid weather in April. WTF is going on???
How do you prepare a bicep tendon??
Winslow,
The Angels need to try a witch Doctor AGAIN.
Move the stadium, the evil spirits have spoken AGAIN. LOL
And no on the weather. Was ok until June.
Getting worse every summer. I do not look forward to August/September and I’m 5 miles from the coast, inland? 100°+
The remnants of another tropical storm hitting right now. Raining.
90° with 80% humidity? Yesterday was sauna like as it is becoming more and more here.
This place does not have the same weather i grew up with in the 1900s anymore.
The Arte Moreno Curse! Sell the team!