Angels' Kenley Jansen: Locks down first save with Halos
Rotowire
Jansen walked one and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 1-0 win over the White Sox.
The veteran closer fired 11 of 19 pitches for strikes as he picked up his first save as an Angel. Jansen topped out at 94.9 mph with his cutter Saturday, but weak contact rather than elite velocity has always been his calling card. Jansen needs 30 more saves to tie Hall of Famer Lee Smith for third on the all-time list with 478, but it's a mark he hasn't reached in a season since 2022.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Jose Soriano: Blanks ChiSox for win
Rotowire
Soriano (1-0) picked up the win in Saturday's 1-0 victory over the White Sox, scattering two hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out five.
Chicago never got a runner past first base against the right-hander. Soriano fired 46 of 73 pitches for strikes before handing things off to the Angels' bullpen in a successful 2025 debut, and after tossing 113 innings over 22 appearances (20 starts) last year, the 26-year-old should be ready to handle a bigger workload this season. Soriano's next trip to the mound is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Guardians.
Adell was removed from Saturday's game against the White Sox due to left hip tightness.
Adell was grabbing at his left leg/hip after hitting an infield single in the fifth inning. The severity of his injury remains unclear, but he can be considered day-to-day for the time being. If he ends up having to miss any games, Kyren Paris would be a likely candidate to see more time in the outfield.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Yoan Moncada: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Moncada (thumb) will start at third base and bat fifth Saturday against the White Sox, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Moncada didn't start the Angels' season opener Thursday due to a thumb issue that was giving him problems during spring training, but he was able to enter as a pinch hitter and draw a walk. Now seemingly recovered, he's set to make his first start at the hot corner since March 12.
Angels' Logan O'Hoppe: Knocks solo homer on Opening Day
Rotowire
O'Hoppe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Thursday's 8-1 Opening Day loss to the White Sox.
O'Hoppe was responsible for two of the Angels' five hits Thursday and their only run of the game thanks to a 417-foot solo homer off Cam Booser during the ninth inning. O'Hoppe is looking to build off a solid 2024 campaign in which he slashed .244/.303/.409 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI across 522 plate appearances, though he'll look to lower his 29.7 percent strikeout rate.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Tim Anderson: Fanned three times in Halos debut
Rotowire
Anderson went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts during Thursday's 8-1 Opening Day loss to the White Sox.
Anderson got the starting nod at the keystone Opening Day but struck out three times in a game that saw the Angels held without a run until the ninth inning. Anderson should see a fair amount of starts to begin the year due to Zach Neto (shoulder) starting the season on the 10-day IL, but the former could begin Saturday's game in the dugout if Yoan Moncada (thumb) is cleared to play, which would likely shift Luis Rengifo to second base.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Takes loss in Halos debut
Rotowire
Kikuchi (0-1) took the loss in Thursday's Opening Day loss to the White Sox. He allowed three runs on five hits while striking out five across six innings.
Kikuchi got off to a nice start with two first-inning strikeouts, but he gave up a solo homer to Austin Slater to open the second frame before relinquishing a two-run double to Miguel Vargas in the same inning. Kikuchi didn't allow a base runner over his last four innings of work, but the Angels weren't able to supply the 33-year-old southpaw enough runs for him to avoid the Opening Day loss. Kikuchi will look to pick up his first win of the season in his next start, which is tentatively slated for the Angels' road series against the Cardinals next week.
The Angels placed Neto (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
The 24-year-old continues to rehab from offseason shoulder surgery and is now officially on the injured list, as expected. According to MLB.com, manager Ron Washington said Tuesday that Neto isn't ready to play in games and has "no date" for his return, so it's unclear when he may be able to make his 2025 debut. Kevin Newman, Tim Anderson, Nicky Lopez and Kyren Paris are all candidates to see time at shortstop with Neto sidelined for at least the first couple weeks of the season.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Yoan Moncada: On roster but not in lineup
Rotowire
Moncada (thumb) is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.
Moncada made enough improvement with his right thumb to be included on the Angels' Opening Day roster, but he is not in the lineup for the opener. It's possible he'll be ready to play Saturday following Friday's off date for the Halos. Luis Rengifo is at third base and Tim Anderson is at second base Thursday.
According to Angels' manager Ron Washington, Neto (shoulder) isn't ready for game action and has "no date" for his return, per MLB.com.
Neto hasn't necessarily had a setback -- it's long been expected that he'd open the season on the injured list -- but fantasy managers who are stashing the talented young shortstop will need to wait a bit longer to learn of a clear timeline for his return. It remains in play for Neto to return to big-league action at some point in April, especially since he was recently described as being "ahead of schedule" in his rehab from last November's right shoulder surgery, though Washington added that the 24-year-old will see some work in minor-league rehab games before making his season debut for the Angels. While Neto remains out, Kevin Newman, Tim Anderson, Nicky Lopez and Kyren Paris could all log time at shortstop for the Halos.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Matthew Lugo: Not part of Opening Day roster
Rotowire
The Angels optioned Lugo to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.
The Angels' recent history of aggressively promoting prospects coupled with the release of Mickey Moniak on Tuesday fueled speculation that Lugo might break camp with the big club, but Los Angeles instead elected to carry Kyren Paris as a fourth outfielder on the Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old Lugo shouldn't have to wait long to make his MLB debut, especially if he continues to produce well at the plate with Salt Lake early on in the season after he held his own during spring training. Though he struck out at 29.5 percent clip and had a 3.3 percent walk rate over 61 plate appearances in the Cactus League, Lugo hit .293 with seven extra-base hits (four doubles, three triples) and two stolen bases.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Ryan Noda: Dispatched to Salt Lake
Rotowire
The Angels optioned Noda to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Noda batted .182 this spring, but 15 walks in 49 plate appearances helped him finish the Cactus League with an .813 OPS. Despite his display of plate discipline and ability to play first base and the corner outfield, he'll have to work his way back into the majors by maintaining success at the Triple-A level.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Chuckie Robinson: Moved to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Angels optioned Robinson to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.
After slashing .154/.371/.192 across 36 spring plate appearances, Robinson will head back to Triple-A to begin 2025, leaving Logan O'Hoppe and Travis d'Arnaud as the Halos' big-league backstops. Robinson owns just a .364 OPS across 136 plate appearances in his MLB career, so he'll likely need a drastic turnaround in Salt Lake to have any hope of returning to Anaheim in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Sam Bachman: Opening season on IL
Rotowire
The Angels placed Bachman on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to thoracic outlet syndrome, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Bachman previously had shoulder surgery in the fall of 2023, and he's now tending to a new health concern that prevented him from making any appearances during the Cactus League. According to Bollinger, Bachman isn't expected to require surgery to address the condition, leaving the Angels optimistic that he might be able to avoid a stint on the 60-day IL and return within the next two months.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Yoan Moncada: Expected to be ready for opener
Rotowire
Moncada (thumb) is expected to be active and in the Angels' Opening Day lineup versus the White Sox on Thursday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Moncada hasn't played in two weeks due to a right thumb injury, but he's been working out in recent days and apparently has convinced the Angels he's well enough to give it a go in Thursday's opener. The 29-year-old switch hitter is expected to be the Halos' primary third baseman this season after signing a one-year, $5 million contract just before spring training. Injuries have limited Moncada to only 104 games over the last two seasons.
... See More... See Less
Angels' Touki Toussaint: Goes to Halos on MiLB deal
Rotowire
The Angels signed Toussaint to a minor-league contract March 21.
Toussaint split last season between the the majors with the White Sox and Triple-A Charlotte, holding a 7.43 ERA in 11 relief appearances at the big-league level. The 28-year-old was with the Angels for part of the 2022 campaign and will give them swingman depth at Triple-A Salt Lake.
![[object Object] Logo](https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2020/04/22/e9ceb731-8b3f-4c60-98fe-090ab66a2997/screen-shot-2020-04-22-at-11-04-56-am.png)
