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Luis Rengifo Suffers Bicep Tendon Rupture, Won’t Return In 2023

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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.

Injury Notes: McClanahan, Rengifo, Kershaw, Stroman

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News that Rays ace Shane McClanahan would require Tommy John surgery already strongly implied that he’ll miss not just the remainder of the 2023 season but perhaps the entire 2024 campaign as well — and McClanahan has effectively confirmed as much to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Topkin writes that the 26-year-old McClanahan expects to be sidelined until 2025 after renowned surgeons Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Keith Meister both made the same recommendation. Meister, who performed the procedure, also “cleaned up” some bone chips in McClanahan’s elbow, the pitcher added.

“I was really frustrated when I found out, but I can’t control that,” McClanahan tells Topkin. “…I want to control how hard I work, the quality of teammate I am and the consistency on the field. And ultimately, the next year, year and a half, whatever it may be, I’m going to work my butt off to make sure that when I’m healthy, it’s going to be the same me.” Topkin’s piece contains plenty of quotes from McClanahan on his injury, the surgery and his mindset as he embarks on a lengthy rehab process, so Rays fans in particular will want to check it out in full.

A few more injury notes from around the league…

  • Angels infielder/outfielder Luis Rengifo exited last night’s game with a strained left biceps that he apparently sustained taking swings in the on-deck circle prior to his first at-bat, per Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times. The Angels are further evaluating him today, but manager Phil Nevin conceded that the injury “doesn’t look good.” Further details will surely follow once the 26-year-old Rengifo has undergone imaging. A Rengifo injury of note would be the latest in a series of unwelcome developments for the Angels. He’s been the team’s hottest hitter for the past six weeks, evidenced by a scalding .342/.393/.602 batting line with nine homers, nine doubles, three triples and just a 14.6% strikeout rate in that time. On the whole Rengifo is hitting .264/.339/.444 in what has easily been the most productive all-around season of his still-young career. He’s under club control for an additional two seasons beyond the current campaign.
  • Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw still isn’t pitching at 100% following the shoulder strain that sent him to the injured list this summer, writes Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Kershaw didn’t reach 90 mph in his most recent start, and his average fastball velocity of just 88.4 mph in that outing was the second-lowest of any appearance in his career. Kershaw, however, is adamant that he can continue to pitch through the issue — and the Dodgers appear willing to let him do so. “If he is able to take the baseball, he’s going to take the baseball,” manager Dave Roberts said of the left-hander.
  • Marcus Stroman hasn’t pitched since July 31 due to inflammation in his hip and, more problematically, a rib cartilage fracture that was discovered as he was on the cusp of returning from that hip issue. However, he tossed 29 pitches during a live batting practice session yesterday, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, and Cubs manager David Ross acknowledged that the right-hander appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery. Stroman will likely require at least one minor league rehab start (if not two), but it seems there’s a good chance the 32-year-old could return before season’s end — and perhaps factor into the postseason rotation. How Stroman fares down the stretch will be worth watching with a particularly close eye, as he has a $21MM player option for the 2024 season but has long appeared likely to decline that and return to the market in search of a lengthier pact.

Angels Select Jhonathan Diaz

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The Angels announced they’ve selected left-hander Jhonathan Diaz onto the big league roster. Gerardo Reyes was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move. The Halos already had three vacancies on the 40-man roster.

Diaz will get the start tonight against the Guardians. It’s his first MLB appearance of the season. The Venezuelan-born hurler pitched in seven games (starting five) between 2021-22. He owns a 3.49 ERA in 28 1/3 MLB frames but has only struck out 16% of opponents while walking nearly 14% of batters faced.

The Angels declined to tender Diaz a contract last offseason. That took him off the 40-man roster, but he returned to the club on a minor league pact. Diaz has logged 87 innings over 38 appearances (including eight starts) in Salt Lake. He owns a 4.55 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Diaz’s 21.1% strikeout percentage and 11.5% walk rate are each worse than average, though he’s keeping the ball on the ground at a solid 48% clip.

Diaz still has all three option years remaining, so the Angels can shuttle him between Orange County and Salt Lake for the foreseeable future if they keep him on the 40-man roster. He’ll try to stake a claim to a spot heading into the winter.

Angels To Recall Davis Daniel For MLB Debut

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The Angels are planning to recall right-hander Davis Daniel prior to today’s game, reports Sam Blum of The Athletic. The Halos currently have tonight’s starter listed as TBD, so it would seem the 26-year-old Daniel is in position to make his big league debut.

A seventh-round pick back in 2019, Davis originally had his contract selected to the big league roster last summer but didn’t appear in a game before being optioned back to Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s spent the bulk of the season on the injured list due to a shoulder strain but returned to the mound in early August. He’s worked 25 1/3 innings between rehab stints with the Angels’ Rookie-ball and Class-A affiliates, pitching to a 1.78 ERA with an outstanding 37-to-5 K/BB ratio in that time (against much younger and less experienced competition, of course).

While Daniel has spent this year rehabbing and facing only lower-level minor leaguers as he ramps back up, he did log 102 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level a year ago. In that time, he pitched to a 4.49 ERA in a very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League environment, striking out 19.4% of his opponents against a 7.5% walk rate.

Daniel ranked among the Angels’ top 30 prospects on most publications heading into the 2022 season, but his velocity and strikeouts were down last year — and this year’s shoulder strain has only further led to concern. Injuries have been an issue for the former Auburn hurler, who also had Tommy John surgery during his draft season. Davis no longer ranks within the Angels’ top 30 prospects at either MLB.com or Baseball America, but FanGraphs tabs him 21st among Anaheim farmhands.

Daniel is fully rested and is stretched out to the point where he’s a clear option to start tonight’s game. He pitched 5 1/3 innings in his most recent start on Aug. 29, and he went six innings and five innings, respectively, in his two starts prior to that outing. He could also provide bulk innings behind an opener if the Halos choose to go that route. That’s not a tactic they’ve used in 2023, but they did turn to openers and bullpen games on occasion last year.

Angels Reportedly Place Randal Grichuk Back On Waivers

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The Angels have again placed outfielder Randal Grichuk on waivers, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). The veteran went unclaimed when the Halos put him on waivers last week.

That appears the likeliest outcome this time around. When Grichuk was available last week, he would’ve been eligible for postseason play with a new team. That’s no longer the case, as anyone acquired from outside the organization after September 1 is ineligible for the playoffs. Any team that puts in a claim for Grichuk, an impending free agent, would only be able to play him for the final three and a half weeks of the regular season.

While it seems unlikely a club would be interested in doing that, there’s at least some logic to the Angels trying to move Grichuk again. When he was on waivers last time, fellow right-handed hitting outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Harrison Bader were also available. The Reds, who were near the top of the waiver order among teams with a shot at making the playoffs, claimed both players.

Every team passed on Grichuk. Yet it seems likely there were teams behind the Reds in waiver priority that put in unsuccessful claims for Bader and/or Renfroe. Perhaps the Angels hope that one of those clubs would be willing to pivot to Grichuk now that they know they can’t land one of the other players.

For the Angels, the motivation is clear. Los Angeles has spent the past week endeavoring to get their luxury tax number below the $233MM base threshold. General manager Perry Minasian confirmed on Friday that shedding the contracts of Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Matt Moore, Dominic Leone and Renfroe didn’t get them to that point, as they remained on the hook for some of Grichuk’s salary when he went unclaimed. The Halos placed Max Stassi on the restricted list over the weekend, declining to pay him for the final month of the season while he’s away from the team attending to a family health issue. That reportedly knocked around $300K off the club’s tax ledger but still left it unclear if the Angels had limboed below the line.

Grichuk remains eligible to play for the Angels while the waiver process plays out. He would likely stick on the MLB roster for the final few weeks of the season if he again goes unclaimed. Grichuk has hit only .179/.230/.359 in 31 games for the Halos after they acquired him from the Rockies prior to the trade deadline.

Angels Select Brett Phillips

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The Angels announced they have optioned infielder Michael Stefanic and selected the contract of outfielder Brett Phillips. No corresponding 40-man move will be required as the club still has several vacancies after losing various players off waivers in the past week.

Phillips returns to the majors for the first time since May. Signed to a $1.2MM free agent contract over the winter, the defensive specialist spent two months on the Halos’ bench. He got into 20 games, mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch runner. Phillips only hit 16 times before being designated for assignment and passed through outright waivers.

The 29-year-old has spent the past few months at Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s striking out in just under a third of his Triple-A plate appearances, posting a .230/.352/.366 line through 264 plate appearances. Strikeouts have prevented Phillips from assuming a regular role at the big league level, as he’s gone down on strikes in 38% of his MLB trips. He’s a career .187/.272/.343 hitter.

Phillips adds a defensive complement to the starting outfield of Mickey Moniak, Randal Grichuk and Luis Rengifo (who moved from shortstop to right field after the Halos waived Hunter Renfroe and promoted Kyren Paris). Now that he’s back on the MLB roster, Phillips is technically controllable via arbitration through 2026, though it seems likely he’ll be non-tendered at season’s end.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Waiver Claim Fallout, September Call-Ups and the Biggest Strength of Each Playoff Contender

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

  • Several important players are put on waivers in unprecedented fashion (0:55)
  • The Angels placed all those players on waivers to try to get under the competitive balance tax (3:30)
  • How can the waiver system be changed in the future? (6:15)
  • The Guardians were the most active club in terms of claiming those players (13:45)
  • Notable September call-ups include Jasson Domínguez, Austin Wells and Ronny Mauricio (17:05)
  • The Yankees are committing to the youth movement, letting go of Harrison Bader and Josh Donaldson (19:50)

Plus, for the first time, we answer a voice memo question from a listener! Owen asks us which trait each team in postseason position has that will win them the World Series (21:10). If you want to hear your voice on the pod, record yourself and send the audio to mlbtrpod@gmail.com! iPhone users can find instructions on how to do so here.

Check out our past episodes!

Braves Claim Andrew Velazquez, Transfer Yonny Chirinos To 60-Day IL

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The Braves announced that they have claimed infielder Andrew Velazquez off waivers from the Angels and optioned him to Triple-A. To make room on their 40-man roster, they transferred right-hander Yonny Chirinos to the 60-day injured list.

Velazquez, 29, has been serving as a glove-first utility player in the big leagues dating back to his 2018 debut. He’s hit just .189/.244/.293 in 624 career plate appearances, including a line of .173/.264/.284 this year. But he’s played a considerable amount of time at shortstop, as well as lining up at second base, third base and in the outfield, generally getting good reviews for his glovework wherever he goes.

The Angels have fallen out of contention in recent weeks and have put many players on waivers, seeing Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Matt Moore, Hunter Renfroe and Dominic Leone get claimed by other clubs last week. Those moves were primarily about clearing out salary and trying to get the club under the lowest threshold of the competitive balance tax.

It doesn’t appear that would be a factor with Velazquez, as he has yet to qualify for arbitration and is presumably making a salary near the league minimum. But he was recently optioned to Triple-A as the club is getting a look at rookie Kyren Paris at short, with the versatile Luis Rengifo also able to take over that position at times. Velazquez has surpassed three years of service this season and will qualify for arbitration for the first time this winter. He will also be out of options next year and need an active roster spot. Perhaps he has fallen out of the club’s long-term plans and they decided to see if anyone else wanted to give him a shot.

It seems Atlanta will be that club, adding Velazquez to their system for a bit of extra infield depth. Since he has been acquired after September 1, he won’t be eligible to play for them in the postseason, but could perhaps be of use if any of their regular players suffers an injury or simply needs a rest over the next few weeks. He can also be retained for three more seasons, though his impending arbitration and out-of-options status will make it harder for him to hold onto a roster spot going forward.

As for Chirinos, he was placed on the injured list August 20 with right elbow inflammation. It seems the club wasn’t expecting him back anytime soon, as he will now be ineligible to return until the middle of October. He could technically return to the club in the event of a deep postseason run, but it seems fair to deduce that his season is over.

It was a bit of a bounceback for him this year, as he hardly pitched over the 2020-2022 period due to various injuries but was able to throw 85 innings between Atlanta and Tampa this year, going from the former to the latter via a waiver claim. However, his 5.40 ERA and 14.4% strikeout rate were well below his marks of 3.85 and 21.5% in 2019. Like Velazquez, he is eligible for arbitration this winter and will be out of options next season.

Balelo: “Inevitable” That Ohtani Will Undergo Some Kind Of Elbow Procedure

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Two weeks ago, the Angels announced that Shohei Ohtani was done pitching for the season after imaging revealed a tear in the UCL of his throwing elbow. Ohtani has yet to address that injury with that media, but his agent, CAA’s Nez Balelo, met with reporters this evening.

Balelo called it “inevitable” that Ohtani will need to undergo some type of procedure (relayed by Dylan Hernández of the Los Angeles Times). Whether that’ll be a full Tommy John surgery or something less invasive (e.g. an internal brace repair) is still to be determined.

According to Balelo, the tear is in a different area than the injury that necessitated Ohtani’s October 2018 Tommy John surgery. He called it a “best case scenario” given the situation (via Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times). Balelo made clear that Ohtani plans to be in the lineup as a designated hitter next season. He stressed that “there’s not a question in (Ohtani’s) mind” he’ll eventually be able to return to pitching as well, though that timetable remains uncertain pending their decision on the specific treatment necessary (relayed by Alden González of ESPN).

Shortly after the UCL tear was discovered, Halos’ general manager Perry Minasian told reporters that Ohtani and CAA declined the team’s offer to undergo imaging after the two-way star reported finger cramping in early August. While that could be interpreted as a shot at Ohtani or his representation, Balelo said they had no issue with the Angels going public with that information (via Sam Blum of the Athletic). He confirmed that Ohtani declined imaging at the time.

Ohtani has continued hitting since the injury, raking at a .300/.500/.500 clip in 43 plate appearances. It seems he’ll continue as the DH, at least until the plan to address his elbow is finalized. The AL MVP favorite is up to an astounding .304/.412/.654 batting line and is tied with Matt Olson for the major league lead with 44 home runs.

Even with uncertainty about his short-term outlook on the mound, Ohtani stands as the clear top player in the upcoming free agent class. If he prioritizes the overall guarantee, the 29-year-old seems likely to eclipse the $360MM record which Aaron Judge established last winter. Teams will obviously closely monitor his arm health to assess the likelihood he’ll be able to recapture his top-of-the-rotation form whenever he’s healthy enough to again begin throwing.

Angels Place Max Stassi On Restricted List

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2:22PM: It isn’t yet known if the Angels have ducked under the tax line, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register notes that putting Stassi on the restricted list will save the team roughly $300K off the tax bill (due to how the luxury tax figure is calculated by average annual value, not by pure dollars).  It might not be revealed until after the season whether or not the Angels have gotten under the tax threshold.

1:31PM: The Angels announced that catcher Max Stassi has been placed on the team’s restricted list (retroactive to September 2).  Stassi hasn’t played at all this season due to both a hip strain that required a 60-day IL placement, and a personal situation involving his family.

That latter reason has led to the restricted list placement, since as per the club’s announcement, Stassi “informed the Angels that while he is in a position to resume activities to return to MLB, he has voluntarily chosen not to do so for the remainder of the 2023 season as a result of a serious family medical issue.  Out of respect for Max and his family, the Angels will not have any further comment.  The Angels wish Max and his family all the best.”

A veteran of 10 Major League seasons with the Astros and Angels, Stassi was dealt to Los Angeles at the 2019 trade deadline and hit quite well in part-time catching action for the Angels in 2020-21.  That prompted the Halos to sign him to a three-year, $14.5MM contract extension that runs through the 2024 season with a club option (worth $7.5MM with a $500K buyout) for 2025.  Unfortunately, Stassi then struggled through the 2022 campaign, and entered this past Spring Training competing for playing time with Logan O’Hoppe and Matt Thaiss.

Stassi’s hip injury removed him from the catching picture, and it appears as though he has been healthy for some time, but has instead been spending time with his family.  We at MLBTR express our support for Stassi and his family during this difficult period.

When on a Major League restricted list, players can’t amass any big league service time or salary.  As a result, the Angels won’t have to pay the $1.16MM still owed to Stassi over the course of the 2023 campaign, which has some bigger-picture implications for the team.  The Athletic’s Sam Blum (X link) writes that with Stassi’s remaining salary off the books, the Angels will be able to duck under the $233MM luxury tax threshold.

This desire to avoid a tax payment was part of the reason for the Angels’ recent flurry of waiver wire placements, as Lucas Giolito, Hunter Renfroe, Dominic Leone, Matt Moore, and Reynaldo Lopez were all claimed away from the team prior to September 1.  However, because Randal Grichuk wasn’t claimed, the Halos remained slightly above the $233MM tax line, but today’s move with Stassi has now apparently cleared the last financial hurdle.

The Angels hadn’t been tax payors since 2004, but were prepared to surpass the threshold this season in a push to contend in what might be Shohei Ohtani’s final season in Anaheim.  The Halos were aggressive in adding to their roster last winter and during the season, including a busy trade deadline push that saw them land Giolito, Lopez, Leone, Grichuk, C.J. Cron in three separate trades.  However, Los Angeles’ 8-19 record in August and Ohtani’s UCL injury led the club to effectively throw in the towel, and put six players on the waiver wire in the hopes of recouping some money to at least avoid any tax penalty.

In staying under the $233MM threshold, the Angels will avoid the (fairly minimal) tax payment itself, but will gain bigger rewards in terms of free agent compensation rules.  The Halos will be able to sign qualifying offer-rejecting free agents without having to pay a bigger penalty in terms of draft picks, while L.A. will receive a compensatory pick prior to the third round of the draft for any free agents (i.e Ohtani) who might reject a QO and sign elsewhere.  Had the Angels been tax payors, that compensatory pick would’ve fallen beyond the fourth round.

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