ANAHEIM — After a week of having Christian Moore as a part-time player in the majors, the Angels decided he was better off being a full-time player in the minors.
The Angels optioned Moore, one of their top prospects, back to Triple-A on Saturday.
“We just feel like it’s not fair to him to come up here and not play every day and and get his normal reps and his at-bats and things like that,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “So that was the main part of the decision.”
Obviously, Suzuki could have given Moore every day at-bats. Moore plays second and third, and he just started playing left field last month. The Angels have other players doing well at all of those spots, so they were juggling the lineup every day.
Moore ended up going 4 for 20 in six games. He was visibly irritated in the clubhouse after Friday’s game, apparently after he got the news that he was going to be optioned.
“I think that’s what makes them good is the fire that they have,” Suzuki said. “They’re disappointed, obviously. There’s no mystery to that. Every guy would be disappointed. I don’t fault him for that. He’s upset. He felt like he should be here and and that’s what drives him to be a good player.”
Suzuki said the Angels are still deciding whether they want Moore to play all three positions or to focus on one.
The Angels replaced Moore on the roster with José Siri, who returned from paternity leave. They kept outfielder Josh Lowe, who had three hits in the two games since he came back from Triple-A.
“J-Lo’s been looking really good,” Suzuki said. “I know he has been playing really well in Salt Lake also. To see him make the adjustments that he’s made and come up, have have a couple good games, definitely was a positive.”
NOTES
Mike Trout said he took some swings on Saturday for the first time since he went on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Trout said he took 30 swings, 15 off a tee and 15 flips, and it felt “great.” Trout also said he ran at 50%. …
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (back) is making a rehab start on Sunday at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. …
The Angels signed left-hander Sammy Peralta and right-hander Dillon Tate to minor league deals. Peralta, 28, has a career 6.52 ERA over parts of four big league seasons, including 10 ⅔ innings with the Angels last season. Tate, 32, has pitched parts of six big league seasons, most recently with the Toronto Blue Jays last year.
UP NEXT
A’s (RHP Aaron Civale, 5-4, 4.88) at Angels (LHP Sam Aldegheri, 2-3, 5.47), Sunday, 12:15 p.m., Peacock, 830 AM