The Angels announced that the attacker Luis Rengifo was placed on the 10-day disabled list (dating back to July 4) due to inflammation in his right wrist. In a related move, the Halos picked up the contract of an infielder Keston Hiura from Triple-A, and moved right hand Andrew Wantz on the 60-day injured list.
Rengifo was ruled out of Wednesday’s game after apparently injuring himself in the swing. Per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register on X, the club said he had a sore wrist and was going to take pictures. The X-rays were inconclusive, according to Fletcher in X yesterday, but it seems that the swelling and pain are enough that the club will put him on the shelf at least for a while.
How he progresses in the coming weeks will be an interesting case to watch as he is one of the most direct trades this summer. The Angels are 36-50 and are one of the few clear sellers this year. Rengifo has just one more year of club control left, making $4.4MM here in 2024 and beyond another looming dispute. The Halos are considered to have a poor farm plan, making it unlikely that they will return to the competition next year.
He has been a strong presence in Halos for the past two seasons but seems to have taken a step forward this year. He slashed .264/.315/.436 over 2022 and 2023, with that production translating to a 108 wRC+. Here in 2024, he’s currently sporting a .315/.358/.442 slash line and a 127 wRC+.
At least some of that is luck, as Rengifo had a .289 batting average in balls played during the 2022-23 season but is down to .349 this year. But it’s still his third straight season of producing above-average offense. He also provides multiple defensive options, having played all three outfield positions and all three infield positions to the left of first base. He is not regarded as a solid defender anywhere, but his versatility still attracts clubs. He also added a base-stealing component to his game by swiping 22 times this year, 18 more than he had in his entire career coming into this season.
Those on-field contributions, along with his salary and an extra year of team control, will make him more attractive when healthy. The trade deadline is July 30, so you have plenty of time if this is a minor problem. But if he experiences any kind of setback, the Angels may miss their window to use his trade value. Injured players can still be traded but it is rare as offers are often reduced to reflect an uncertain health status.
For now, the Angels will have to assemble a lineup without Rengifo. He has been playing second and third base this year, with Anthony Rendon, Miguel Sano again Brandon Drury we all waste time on the injured list. Rendon is still on the IL but Sano and Drury are healthy now and will likely play third and second base, respectively. Luis Guillorme he moves around like a bench player.
Hiura, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Angels a few weeks ago after being released by the Tigers. He reported to Triple-A Salt Lake and has been roaring absurdly since, hitting 12 home runs in 19 games with a .360/.429/.853 line.
But hitting home runs has never been a problem for Hiura. He always put balls on the fence but they were hit in great numbers at the same time. In over 1,000 plate appearances in the majors, he has 50 long balls but a 36% strikeout rate. Even if he continues that crazy pace with the Bees over the past few weeks, he’s been dropped 28.1% of the time.
For Halo, there’s little harm in raising him to see if he can catch lightning in a bottle. They were using Willie Calhoun as their designated main hitter for the past two months. He has a .273/.337/.391 slash line in 178 plate appearances this year but with just two homers, not the kind of pop clubs usually hope to get from their DH. Hiura is in the DH spot today with Calhoun on the bench.
The Angels may be tempted to put Hiura at second base at times, as that’s where he played when he first emerged as a prospect. But his glove work is considered poor and he has spent more time at first in recent years. But he’s had little time in the keystone while in Salt Lake, so maybe it’s off the table. Nolan Schanuel is having a down year at first, hitting .239/.309/.352, and has no minor league experience. The club fired him in the finals last year after just 22 games on the farm while trying to stay in the playoff race, skipping Triple-A entirely. If Hiura hits well, maybe the children’s durability in Schanuel is also out of the question.
If things don’t go his way for Hiura, he’s out of options and will have to be removed from the 40 to be removed from the active roster. But if things click, he can be saved for three seasons of arbitration other than this one.
As for Wantz, he was just placed on the 15-day injured list a few days ago due to right elbow inflammation. His status is still unclear but the fact that he was quickly transferred to IL for 60 days is alarming. He will now not be eligible for reinstatement until early September.
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