Angels Key Infielder Likely to Miss Multiple Games With Injury

Apr 1, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada (5) leaps over St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) as he steals third base during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels are off to a 5-3 start and back in the win column after a resounding 10-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

Unfortunately, they did so without newly acquired infielder Yoan Moncada, as manager Ron Washington has a new update about the veteran's thumb.

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This past spring, Moncada had a bit of a mysterious injury to his throwing hand.

A deep bruise that even Washington didn't know the origin of kept Moncada out of a few spring games and in danger of missing Opening Day. There was no tear to any ligaments in the hand, but a nagging bruise that made holding a bat and fielding a ball at third extremely difficult.

Moncada was on the Opening Day roster and even logged a late-game pinch-hitting opportunity in his team's defeat. He already has four RBIs in seven games this season.

Friday evening, Moncada left the game in the seventh inning with soreness in his hand near his thumb. Fans held their breath hoping it wasn't more of the same concerns from spring, but when Moncada was held out of Saturday's game, things started to look like the same story from a month ago.

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Washington spoke positively on the new infielder's thumb via The Orange County Register's Doug Padilla.

“That thing lasts a long time,” Washington said. “You think it’s well, and you take a freak swing, and it’s right back. And that’s what happened to him. That’s all. But we don’t have to worry about him going on the IL.”

This is certainly good news for the Halos as the skipper did not sound like an injury list departure was in the works. In Moncada's place, a few candidates have been switching around the infield.

For Sunday's game to round out the series against the Guardians, Luis Rengifo slid over to third base, Kyren Paris took over at second, and Tim Anderson held it down at shortstop.

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For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.