Opening Day Roster and Lineup Projection 2.0 - How Camp Is Shaping the Roster

A decent amount of the Angels Opening Day roster is set barring injury. And the good news is the Angels have not had a roster altering injury. But there have been some guys put themselves in position to make the Opening Day roster and a couple might be playing themseves off it.

The outfield mix has not changed.

Mike Trout, Jo Adell, and Josh Lowe will be the Opening Day roster. The only question is the alignment. As of now it looks like Adell will man his familiar corner in right field, Lowe will replace Taylor Ward in left field with Mike Trout returning to center.

Jorge Soler will be the designated hitter and occasionally play a corner spot. Trout should be plenty of days at DH as well.

The battle for the final outfield spot seem to be Bryce Teodosio vs. Jose Siri. Teodosio is already on the Angels roster and does not require a roster move. Siri's slash line of .167/.231/.250 thus far does not justify a roster move.

Christian Moore looks like the early favorite to land the starting second base job.

If the team is being honest they'd love to see Moore join the emerging young core. He might struggle at times but he does have talent. Hitting a home run off Michael King and so far playing adequate defense at the keystone has done nothing to hurt his chances.

The rest of the infield is a lock.

Zach Neto is the Angels brightest hope for a winning future. Nolan Schanuel will get another year at first base. Yoan Moncada is still healthy although that is far from a given.

So, the starting infield will go Moncada, Neto, Moore, Schanuel from left to right.

Logan O'Hoppe will be behind the plate.

If there's one player who has stood out this preseason it is O'Hoppe. He's doing a great job of connecting with new pitchers and he looks comfortable in the batter's box. Perhaps he's picked up some tips from new catching coach Max Stassi, perhaps Logan is just in a good spot. Either way, all he's done is

Travis d'Arnaud is on the last year of the two year deal he signed prior to the 2025 season. Known more for his defense than his bat, Travis will be the backup catcher.

Sep 3, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Reid Detmers (48) celebrates with catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14) after defeating the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Which leaves the bench spots.

If Moore starts at second base, Vaughn Grissom, Oswald Peraza, and Adam Frazier are fighting for two bench spots. Grissom and Peraza are out of options but Frazier has enough MLB service time to opt out of his minor league deal if he doesn't make the roster.

Peraza has a slash line of .167/.286/.250 this year after a disappointing 2025 campaign. Grissom is even worse with 0.91/.167/0.91. But Grissom is striking out a lot less and brings a better glove.

I think Adam Frazier is playing himself onto this roster. Not only is he the most established MLB player in this group, he's putting up a nice early slash line of .375/.500/.375.

Current roster and lineup prediction:

Nolan Schanuel - 1B

Zach Neto - SS

Mike Trout - CF

Yoan Moncada - 3B

Jo Adell - RF

Jorge Soler - DH

Josh Lowe - LF

Logan O'Hoppe - C

Christian Moore - 2B

Bench pieces:

Adam Frazier - Utility

Vaughn Grissom - Utility

Travis D'arnaud - Catcher

Bryce Teodosio - OF

Impressions of the lineup:

There's a lot of power up and down the lineup. For a team that led the Major in strikeouts last season that will still be a problem. Frazier likely gets some starts at third once Moncada gets hurt and having an elite glove with speed like Teodosio on the bench is a good thing.

We'll look at the Opening Day pitcher selections tomorrow.