ARLINGTON, Texas — Christian Moore is back for another chance to show whether he’s ready to be in the big leagues.
The Angels called up Moore and Gustavo Campero on Saturday, when they placed Nolan Schanuel and Wade Meckler on the injured list. Schanuel is on the 10-day injured list because of an intercostal strain, and Meckler is on the seven-day concussion IL.
Schanuel’s injury moves Vaughn Grissom to first and opens the door for Moore to get everyday at-bats while playing second base.
Moore, the Angels’ first-round pick in 2024, has had 206 big-league plate appearances in his first two stints over the past two seasons, hitting .198 with a .630 OPS. He struck out in 35% of his plate appearances.
“There’s no secret what I struggled with up here the first time,” Moore said Saturday. “So just trying to go down (to Triple-A) and focus on hitting heaters up. I understand doing damage with those, and just being able to compete each at-bat with it. There’s no secret what I’m going to get, what I need to work on. So that’s what I focused on down there.”
The Angels are desperate for any sort of offensive production, so if Moore can hold his own he’ll stay in the lineup. While the Angels had been experimenting with him at third base or even left field, this time he’s in the big leagues to play second base, manager Kurt Suzuki said.
Moore played exclusively at second after returning to the minors in late June. He has also hit better lately. In his last 11 games, he hit .318 with a .964 OPS.
Although Moore was visibly upset in the clubhouse the day the Angels sent him down, he said he didn’t need a “reset” when he got back to Triple-A.
“At the end of the day, I love this game,” Moore said. “I love playing baseball. Whenever I have another opportunity to play a game, that’s all the reset I need. At the end of the day, I got a job to do, and that’s to help the organization win. Whether I’m here or down there, I’ve got to do my job.”
Campero, meanwhile, will play mostly outfield, although he would be available to catch, Suzuki said. Campero is a switch-hitter who was hitting .356 with seven homers and a 1.062 OPS at Triple-A.
They come up to replace Meckler (the leadoff hitter) and Schanuel (the No. 3 hitter).
Meckler was hit in the head by a pitch Thursday night.
“It’s not fun, but I think it’s just soreness,” Suzuki said.
Schanuel said he started feeling something in his side during his last at-bat Thursday.
“Thankfully it’s not an oblique,” he said. “It’s like an intercostal strain, the muscle in between my ribs. I’ve never had anything like that, so kind of just leaving it to the trainers and trying to get back on the field as soon as possible.”
Schanuel said he’s “still pretty sore, but definitely better than when it happened.”
KIKUCHI TO RETURN?
Prior to Saturday’s game the Angels still had not announced who will start Sunday, although it’s expected to be Yusei Kikuchi.
The left-hander has not pitched in the majors since late April, missing more than three months with shoulder inflammation. Although Kikuchi’s 15.63 ERA in four rehab games was not encouraging, Kikuchi said all along that he felt good, and apparently the Angels saw what they needed to see in terms of his pure stuff.
Kikuchi, in the second year of a three-year, $63-million deal, had a 5.81 ERA in seven starts before going on the injured list.
The Angels still haven’t decided how they’ll make room for Kikuchi on the roster. They may go with a six-man rotation.
UP NEXT
Angels (TBD) at Rangers (RHP Cal Quantrill, 5-4, 3.13), 11:35 a.m. PT Sunday, ABTV, 830 AM