ANAHEIM — While Angels fans were watching Denzer Guzman from afar and wondering when the Angels were going to bring him to the big leagues, Guzman had the same thought.
“When you’re performing well, you’re always waiting for that call,” Guzman said through an interpreter on Monday.
The Angels finally promoted the infielder after he torched Triple-A to the tune of a .336 batting average, 12 home runs and a .974 OPS. Since May 1, he hit .397 with eight homers and an OPS of 1.161.
The Angels on Monday added Guzman and first baseman Trey Mancini to the roster, while putting Vaughn Grissom (oblique) and Adam Frazier (right elbow) on the injured list.
Manager Kurt Suzuki said Guzman will be the everyday third baseman.
“I’m not going to run him into the ground and crush him, but for the most part he’s going to be playing every day,” Suzuki said.
Guzman, 22, got a taste of the majors last September, hitting .190 with a .566 OPS. Guzman said since then he made some changes to his swing, mostly with how he uses his hands and his lower body.
He said that “staying in the back leg” has been a key to him cutting his strikeout rate. He struck out in 25% of his minor league at-bats last year, and 18% this year.
“The reports we got were that he’s having great at-bats,” Suzuki said. “He’s still working on his defense. He’s still working to improve his defense and working on things to get better. But I just think his overall game has gotten, I guess, a bit more consistent.”
The opportunity was created by a couple of other Angels infielders being hurt.
Grissom felt something in his side during batting practice on Friday, and he has not been able to play since.
“If you get ahead of it, you can get it back within a week or so,” Suzuki said. “If you get it good, you’re out for a good couple months. So try to get ahead of it and make sure that he’s good.”
Suzuki said the tenderness in Frazier’s elbow is “something he’s dealt with in the past” so the Angels wanted to “get ahead of it.”
First baseman Nolan Schanuel is also at less than 100% because of a sore left ankle. He came back after just one rehab game and was still hobbled.
“I’m just fighting through it,” Schanuel said on Monday. “They gave me the day today, and hopefully I’ll be back in there tomorrow.”
The need for coverage at first base opened the door for Mancini to return to the big leagues for the first time since 2023.
Mancini was with the Miami Marlins in spring training 2024, but he opted out and no other team called him, so he spent the season out of baseball. Brady Anderson, who is now the Angels’ hitting coach, knew Mancini from his Baltimore Orioles’ days and encouraged him to try again, so he spent the beginning of the 2025 season in the minors with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He opted out in July, and again no one signed him. The Angels offered him a minor-league deal last winter.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Mancini said. “It’s been a long time and I felt so far removed from being in this position for the big part of the last three years. So it’s pretty emotional. It’s kind of like getting called up for the first time all over again.”
Mancini said Angels’ Triple-A hitting coach Alonzo Powell suggested he make a change with his hands about a month ago, and it unlocked a better performance. Mancini hit .306 with a .945 OPS after making the change.
NOTES
The Angels moved third baseman Yoán Moncada to the 60-day injured list to open a spot for Mancini on the 40-man roster. Moncada is not eligible to return until late July now. …
Right-hander Ben Joyce continues to throw in Arizona, but he has not gotten back on a mound yet. Joyce, who had shoulder surgery last year, was on the verge of returning to the major leagues before he had a setback last month. …
The Angels didn’t have the results of right-hander Jack Kochanowicz’s MRI exam as of the time that Suzuki spoke to the media on Monday afternoon. Kochanowicz is on the injured list after feeling discomfort in his elbow for the past couple of weeks. …
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi is expected to begin throwing soon, Suzuki said. Kikuchi has been out for about a month with a shoulder issue.
UP NEXT
Astros (RHP Kai-Wei Tang, 3-4, 3.06 ERA) at Angels (RHP Walbert Ureña, 3-4, 2.68 ERA), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM