Spring Training is underway and the Los Angeles Angels have begun preparing for what figures to be a fascinating 2024 campaign. Given the way the roster is constructed, this year’s Spring Training has fewer positional battles and is more just about getting the big league players ready for the season while helping move the minor league players’ development along. But, of course, there were bound to be injuries, and that has already happened with Luis Rengifo.
Rengifo, the Halos utility infielder, is coming off of his best season as a pro. He finished 2023 with a .783 OPS and 111 OPS+, hitting 16 home runs, 15 doubles and four triples. He spent time primarily as a second baseman, but also saw innings at third base, shortstop and in the outfield. He figures to be the Angels second baseman in 2024 next to Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Anthony Rendon with Brandon Drury serving as a backup utilityman.
But Rengifo is the first Angels player to suffer some sort of injury in Spring Training, as he is now dealing with a hamstring issue that could remove him from the lineup for a little bit, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic:
Luis Rengifo has a hamstring issue. He took himself out of workouts yesterday.
He’s going to be off his feet for a few days. Ron Washington was adamant that he’ll be ready for opening day.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 24, 2024
Manager Ron Washington seems confident that Rengifo will be ready for Opening Day, but this is the kind of sentiment that has been said before by the Angels just before a player ends up missing significant time. Hopefully, Washington is right about Rengifo, as he is an important piece of the puzzle in 2024.
The Angelshave relatively razor thin depth throughout their roster, so even one injury to a key player could spell disaster for a short period. The Angels could turn to Michael Stefanic, but he also suffered an injury in the team’s Spring Training opener.
Angels not signing Cody Bellinger
With the news that Mike Trout was pushing the Angels brass to sign one of the top remaining available free agents, the news stung that outfielder Cody Bellinger would be returning to the Chicago Cubs on a three-year, $80 million deal. That was always the likeliest option with Bellinger, but the Angels had been rumored to be interested for weeks before this final deal was agreed to.