Angels’ First-Round Pick Injured In Minor League Game

He was helped off the field by a trainer.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Angels first-round pick Christian Moore went down with an apparent injury during Friday's loss to the Tennessee Smokies. Moore dove for a ball coming toward second base, but went down clutching his knee. A trainer was seen attending to him on the field before helping him off the field.

#Angels prospect Christian Moore was taken out of the game tonight after diving for a ball. He looked to be in some significant pain pic.twitter.com/N867JnoLPM

— Jared Tims (@Jared_Tims) August 31, 2024

The Angels recently drafted the second baseman No. 8 overall out of Tennessee in the 2024 MLB Draft. Moore came into the draft after leading Tennessee to their first College World Series victory in program history. He also set the Tennessee single-season home run record in his final year, hitting 34 home runs while hitting .375.

Moore instantly made an impact in the minor leagues after he was drafted. He appeared in just two games in Single-A, hitting .545 for six hits, five runs, one home run, and six RBIs on 11 at-bats. The Angels immediately promoted Moore to Double-A, allowing him to skip High-A.

The 21-year-old has been fantastic in Double-A as well, slashing .294/.348/.506 with 25 hits, 16 runs, five home runs, and 10 RBIs in 21 games for the Rocket City Trash Pandas. He was immediately named the Southern League Player of the Week after his first full week of baseball, cementing him as a top prospect for the Angels.

Per MLB.com, Moore is already the Angels' second-ranked prospect, only behind pitcher Caden Dana. Dana is set to make his MLB debut on Sunday.

It felt inevitable that Moore would follow in the footsteps of recent Angels top draft picks Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto in getting promoted to the major leagues right away, but the status of Moore's injury could affect that timeline.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian told The Athletic's Sam Blum earlier this month that they are taking Moore's progress day-by-day, and did not rule up the chance for Moore to "get his feet wet" in the major leagues this season.

Minasian had yet to give any sort of timetable for when Moore could possibly get called up before he went down on Friday, and Moore remained focused on his performance in Double-A. Just 27 games remain in the Angels' schedule for the 2024 season.