Angels' $5 Million Infielder Behind Schedule Due to Soreness

Valentina Martinez | Feb 21, 2025

Mar 22, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington gets ready for a game against the Chicago White Sox at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada is a few days behind the other position players due to soreness, according to manager Ron Washington.

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Moncada is looking to bounce back in 2025 after a disappointing season with the Chicago White Sox in which he only played 12 games due to injury. While the Angels hope to escape the cellar of the American League, Moncada gives the Halos (hopefully) a more reliable option at the hot corner.

Moncada's best performance came during the 2019 season where he slashed .315/.367/.548 with a career-high 25 home runs.

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal said Moncada has a huge opportunity in Anaheim, especially since Anthony Rendon will miss the entire season.

"The Angels know they can't count on Anthony Rendon to play third base, to be healthy," Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. "That hasn't worked out for them, right? So Moncada gets a chance here to really do some things."

By the conclusion of the 2025 season, Rendon will have played in less than 30 percent of the possible 880 games for the Angels, assuming he misses the whole season. Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels before the 2020 season. He is entering his final two years of the deal this season.

The hope is that Moncada's injury woes are left in 2024 and he emerges as a reliable everyday starter for the Halos. While the Angels have made quite a few additions this winter, it's unclear whether the numerous veteran acquisitions are enough to help the organization.

Washington said it would be at spring training that he could evaluate whether he had a roster able to contend in 2025.

“I think if you ask me that question when we're getting ready to break out of spring training, I'll be able to answer it a lot better,” Washington said at the Winter Meetings. “But as far as being successful, I'm always ready to be successful, and the group I have is ready to be successful. We've just got to wait until we get everybody in camp and see what we have and then ask me that question.”

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