ANAHEIM — The Angels in the outfield had a new look on Saturday night, and it could appear that way for a while.
Bryce Teodosio was selected from Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday and started in center field against the visiting Chicago White Sox.
Jo Adell was moved from center to right, where he was a Gold Glove finalist last season, and veteran LaMonte Wade Jr. was released after seven weeks with the team.
“We try to get everyone in the best position we can, the best triumvirate out there, so this is the way it went,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said.
Teodosio, 26, signed with the Angels as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson in the summer of 2021. He played five games for the Angels last September, going 1-for-12 with a run scored and five strikeouts before he broke his finger on a bunt attempt.
He’s hitting .330 with an .896 OPS in 88 at-bats with Salt Lake this season, belting one home run and stealing 10 bases after taking 40 last season.
“He’s going to go out and get a chance to do what he does,” Montgomery said. “He’s a well above-average defensive center fielder. We all know that. He runs real well. He tracks balls, he has huge instincts in center field, so for him to be there and be here, I think it’s a benefit for us across the board.”
Teodosio said he didn’t feel any nerves with his latest promotion.
“It’s a new step, but trying to treat the game the same as I would in Triple-A or Double-A,” he said.
Adell has been hot-and-cold in center field this season. He’s shown a knack for tracking deep flies to the warning track and even above the wall, but seems to struggle with reading balls in front of him. He misplayed a low line drive hit directly at him to lead off the sixth inning on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, leading to the tiebreaking run and eventually a 6-3 loss by the Angels.
Montgomery hopes to keep Adell in right field for as long as possible, though there could be some difficult decisions when Jorge Soler returns. He’s on the 10-day injured list after leaving a game on July 23 with lower back inflammation.
“Good problem to have,” Montgomery said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
PERAZA NEXT UP?
Oswald Peraza was not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game since he was acquired from the New York Yankees on Thursday, though the versatile infielder could make his Angels debut as soon as Sunday, Montgomery said.
Peraza has so far struggled to produce offensively at the major-league level, but has proven to be an elite defender.
Third base has been a problem for the Angels this season defensively. They rank last in the majors with a .933 fielding percentage at the position entering Saturday.
Yoán Moncada, Luis Rengifo and David Newman have started 107 of 111 games at third this season, but their fielding position was a combined .931 entering Saturday.
Moncada’s bat has kept him as the No. 1 option at third of late, but he’s hitting .170 with two extra base hits in 15 games since returning from a month-long absence with right knee inflammation on July 8.
Montgomery originally planned to use Peraza against left-handed pitchers, but the Angels aren’t scheduled to face a left-hander until AL Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers on Friday.
“I don’t want to discount who’s playing third currently, but yeah, you look at every possibility,” Montgomery said. “Peraza is going to get in there for sure. We know what he can do. We see it, obviously, for ourselves, so it could be (Sunday).”
Peraza is hitting just .190 over four seasons with the Yankees and was down to .152 through 77 games this season, but the 25-year-old Venezuelan believes the change of scenery could unlock his offensive potential.
“Talking yesterday with my coaches, practicing every day, looking at some video, a little adjustment with my body, I feel a little confident,” Peraza said.
TROUT STILL OUT
Mike Trout missed his second straight game with an illness on Friday night, but Montgomery said he’s close to returning.
“Definitely progressing, just not all the way there to be in the lineup,” he said. “I know he wants to (play Sunday), just day to day with this thing, so we’ll see what happens.”
Gustavo Campero filled the DH spot on Saturday, hitting eighth.
UP NEXT
White Sox (RHP Sean Burke, 4-8, 4.17 ERA) at Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 3-9, 5.75 ERA), Sunday, 1:07 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM