Angels Announce Recent First-Round Pick Will Start 2026 Season in Triple-A

He'll begin the season looking to continue his development in the minors

Feb 23, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; General view of the field prior to a spring training game between the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

One of the Los Angeles Angels' top draft picks in recent years is officially set to open the 2026 season in the minors.

Christian Moore, the Angels' No. 1 prospect in 2025 on MLB Pipeline, has been optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake, Los Angeles announced on Saturday. The 23-year-old was hitting .175 in major league spring training with seven hits in 40 at-bats, but he'll now get the opportunity to continue his development in the minors.

Moore was Los Angeles' first-round draft pick in 2024 and was quickly pushed through the minors, leading to his major league debut last year. But the young infielder posted a .198 batting average in 53 games with the Angels in 2025, as opposed to hitting .271 in 68 games last year across three minor league levels.

Los Angeles also optioned Kyren Paris to Triple-A alongside Moore, which seemingly leaves the door open for several non-roster invitees to battle for the Angels' Opening Day second base job throughout the rest of spring training.

Will Christian Moore be a factor for the Angels in 2026?

Mar 13, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman Christian Moore (4) makes the play against the Cleveland Guardians in the second inning at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

As things stand right now, the Angels have a decision to make in terms of who will open the season as their everyday second baseman. Vaughn Grissom and Oswald Peraza are already on Los Angeles' 40-man roster, but non-roster invitees Adam Frazier, Nick Madrigal, and Chris Taylor could be options as well. While all of these names could be serviceable choices at second base at the start of the season, the Angels would probably like to see Moore develop enough in the minors early on to become a candidate for another taste of major league action later this year.

The 23-year-old has still only played 93 total minor league games since being selected with the eighth-overall draft pick in 2024. Moore has played 57 games at Double-A and just 30 at Triple-A to date. While the offensive numbers weren't there in the majors last year for the former University of Tennessee standout, some more time at Triple-A could be incredibly beneficial for him in the long run. And given the state of second base for the Angels right now, if Moore gets hot early in the campaign and nobody else runs away with the job, the young infielder could return to the big leagues in short order.