Luis Rengifo Questionable For Angels’ Opening Day Roster

Infielder Luis Rengifo has played in just one Cactus League game, and he has now been sidelined for over a week due to a nagging hamstring injury.  Rengifo described the problem as just a cramp, yet after being twice scratched from the Angels’ lineup within the last week, manager Ron Washington told reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) that the team will “back off” and give him more time to recover.  Washington said that Rengifo had been battling an illness that also delayed his spring work, and with all of these setbacks in mind, Washington wasn’t sure if the infielder will be able to break camp with the team.

Putting Rengifo on the 10-day injured list to begin the season might be worthwhile if it allows Rengifo to put all his spring injuries fully behind him, and gives him some extra time to properly ramp up for the start of his 2025 campaign.  With over two weeks remaining before the Angels’ first regular-season game, Rengifo might yet be able to get on track if he can return to Spring Training action relatively soon, yet the clock is ticking on his readiness.

Losing Rengifo even for a bit of time would deliver another hit to an Angels infield that is already down two players.  Zach Neto will miss the start of the year due to his ongoing recovery from offseason shoulder surgery, though Neto is expected to take the field before April is over.  Anthony Rendon underwent hip surgery last month and has already been placed on the 60-day IL, and given Rendon’s lengthy injury history and the significant recovery time any player would require coming off a hip procedure, it is fair to wonder if Rendon might get on the field at all before 2025 is out.

Kevin Newman is expected to play shortstop while Neto is out, and the infield injuries had already seemingly opened the door for veteran minor league signings Tim Anderson and J.D. Davis to be part of the Opening Day roster.  If Rengifo is also out, Scott Kingery, Carter Kieboom, or Yolmer Sanchez are other players in camp with MLB expreience, or the Angels could look within their system to promote Kyren Paris or 2024 first-rounder Christian Moore (who has already been getting reps at both second and third base).

When healthy, the versatile Rengifo may very well get some time at shortstop or third base as the Angels try to plug as many holes as possible.  However, the Halos’ plan was for the bulk of Rengifo’s playing time to come as the team’s regular second baseman.  Rengifo has played all three of those infield positions during his six Major League seasons, and also gotten some playing time at all three outfield positions (primarily right field).  Heading into spring camp, Los Angeles was intending to give Rengifo some more looks as a center fielder, but that plan obviously got scrubbed by Rengifo’s hamstring woes.

Rengifo had another injury concern hanging over him even before Spring Training began, as he underwent a wrist surgery last August that brought an early end to his 2024 campaign.  That procedure cut short what was shaping up as Rengifo’s most productive year at the plate, as his .300/.347/.417 slash line over 304 plate appearances translated to a 117 wRC+.  Previously known just for his defensive flexibility, Rengifo has posted above-average and steadily improving wRC+ numbers in each of the last three seasons.

This production made Rengifo a popular figure at last year’s trade deadline, though the Angels elected to keep the utilityman as he is heading into his last season of team control.  Between his multi-positional ability and another good year with the bat, a healthy Rengifo could line himself up nicely for a noteworthy free contract next winter, and he’ll likely draw more trade attention this summer if the Angels are again out of contention.