Rengifo's breakout season comes to abupt end
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ANAHEIM -- Baseball finds a way to surprise you.
The Angels’ Luis Rengifo learned this lesson the hard way.
In the midst of a career-best 14-game hitting streak and an AL Player of the Week designation, Rengifo felt something in his left arm on a first-inning practice swing in the on-deck circle on Thursday against the Guardians.
Multiple rounds of doctors’ evaluations and second opinions later, it was announced before Saturday night’s 6-2 win over the Guardians that Rengifo was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left biceps tendon rupture, ending his 2023 season.
“A little frustrated,” said Rengifo. “I want to be there and just play, but … it happens.”
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Despite the tough diagnosis, Rengifo remained upbeat and doesn’t expect the injury to impact his offseason substantially. He said that he expects to be back healthy and ready to go for Spring Training.
Since the All-Star break, Rengifo was hitting .318/.374/.587 with 11 homers, 29 RBIs, nine doubles and three triples in 50 games, reaping the rewards of adjustments he made in the batter’s box.
“It’s part of the game. You make adjustments,” said Rengifo of his approach at the plate this season. “You have to do your best every single time you go up there. You’re learning every single day.”
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Rengifo, 26, was on track to log the most games of his Major League career in near-everyday role with the Angels as a versatile defender at second base (65 games), third base (23 games) and shortstop (37 games), with 21 games spread across the three outfield positions.
Rengifo’s 2023 campaign wraps with a line of .264/.339/.444, with 16 homers, 51 RBIs and 41 walks (up from 17 walks in ’22, a marked improvement that boosted his on-base percentage of .294 a year ago to a career-best .339 this year).
“Yeah, it stinks,” said manager Phil Nevin of Rengifo’s abrupt finish. “I hate seeing it. He’s so important to this dugout, his energy and what he brings – and not just on the field. … It’s a pretty significant injury. The rehab process is pretty grueling. But if anybody can handle this and tackle this head on, it’s Luis.”
Rengifo’s injury is the latest in what’s been a frustrating summer for the Angels of derailing health setbacks for key players -- most notably Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon, the trio who were expected to help lead the club to its first postseason berth since 2014.
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Add up all of these maladies, and you’re presented with much of the reason the Angels (66-77) seem poised for their eighth consecutive losing season -- a far cry from what the organization sought in 2023 in the final season of Ohtani’s contract with the club.
As a result of the ever-growing injury situation, several Angels prospects have had a chance to audition in the Majors – a group that includes Nolan Schanuel (the Angels’ current No. 1 prospect, per MLB Pipeline), Kyren Paris (No. 5) and Jordyn Adams (No. 15), as well as Zach Neto (currently on a rehab assignment) and flamethrower Ben Joyce (No. 7 prospect, also out on a rehab assignment).
Logan O’Hoppe, their previous No. 1 prospect who missed nearly four months with a torn labrum, clubbed his second homer in as many games on Saturday, a two-run shot to right-center against former Angel Lucas Giolito.
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“I feel like I can play like that consistently,” said O’Hoppe of his recent power surge. “It was just a matter of finding that feeling and going off of that.”
O’Hoppe also caught a gem from Tyler Anderson, who fired eight innings, his longest start with the Angels (and his longest since June 15, 2022, as a Dodger against the Angels).
From the opposing dugout, Guardians manager Terry Francona was impressed with what he saw from O’Hoppe.
"I remember him from this winter … his name came up a lot,” said Francona. “He's a good-looking, young, strong catcher. I mean, when you hit the ball the opposite way like that, you're doing something right."
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Though the Angels aren’t where they wanted to be this season, these last few weeks will prove invaluable for a group of players the club hopes to rely on soon.
“I think every at-bat they get, every pitch, every inning … for those guys, every opportunity they get at this level, the game’s just a little bit quicker than everywhere else,” said Nevin.
“It’s exciting. The future’s exciting. That core group has got a chance to be really good for a long time for us.”