2 Angels players to start worrying about after slow starts and 2 that'll be just fine

The Los Angeles Angels have had an interesting start to the season. While not much was expected of the team coming into 2026, they’ve already made headlines with insane home run robberies, a brawl, and Mike Trout going off against the New York Yankees.

While those are the headlines, what isn’t as exciting is players who are struggling. Los Angeles has a number of players who have not gotten off to the best start. While concern is warranted for some, for others, they should be just fine over the course of a full season.

2 Angels whose slow starts are concerning

Yoan Moncada

Even before the season began, there were fears about Yoan Moncada. The Angels' third baseman had a decent 2025 season, and the team decided to bring him back on a fairly affordable deal, but he has not done much of anything thus far.

He’s slashing .164/.325/.328 with 3 homers and 8 RBI. The on-base numbers are decent as he’s drawing quite a few walks, but his bat is going to catch up with him.

The Angels may be better served getting a look at some other options at third base later in the season if his struggles continue.

Logan O’Hoppe

While many were hoping that Logan O’Hoppe’s rough 2025 was just a blip and that he’d return to his 2024 levels of production this season, so far the early returns suggest it will be more of last season’s struggles.

Last season, O’Hoppe slashed .213/.258/.371 with 19 home runs and 43 runs batted in. So far this season, he’s hitting .197/.316/.258.

Hitting the ball out of the yard is really all he brings to the table offensively, so if he can’t do that, then his value really comes into question.

2 Angels who should be just fine after rough start

Nolan Schanuel

It’s been a slow start for Nolan Schanuel this season at the plate. The 24-year-old first baseman is hitting .226/.302/.333 with 2 homers and 13 RBI.

That’s not quite what fans were looking for after he slashed .264/.353/.389 with 12 homers and 53 RBI last season.

But there is cause for hope. His expected batting average on the season is .258, so he’s still hitting the ball hard; he just may have had some bad luck to start the season. He should be back on track soon.

Yusei Kikuchi

It’s easy to worry about left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi after he’s pitched to a 5.63 ERA in five starts on the season. He has 27 strikeouts in 24 innings of work, though, and his average fastball velocity is actually up from last season. His FIP is 4.00 on the year, so while he has been supplanted as ace of the staff by Jose Soriano, the 2025 All-Star should still have a fine year. Kikuchi's latest start was his best of the season as he pitched six scoreless innings.

It’s easy to overreact to the first few weeks of the season. While concern is likely warranted with Moncada and O’Hoppe, both Schanuel and Kikuchi should end up with similar numbers to what they put up in 2025.

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