Angels News: Andrelton Simmons could return to team against Dodgers

Shortstop Andrelton Simmons hasn’t played since July 27th, but he could return to the Angels lineup in time for their series against the neighboring Dodgers.

For fourteen games, the Los Angeles Angels have taken the field without their everyday shortstop. Now with the team on the verge of sweeping the last team he played against, Andrelton Simmons is nearing a return.

In speaking with the media on Wednesday, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, manager Joe Maddon noted that Simmons has been seeing regular at-bats at the team’s alternative training facility in Long Beach and that he could be nearing a return. In fact, that could come as soon as this coming weekend, when the Angels host the Dodgers.

Simmons last played on July 27th against the Oakland Athletics. At the top of the ninth inning, he legged out an infield single, but in lunging for the bag, he overstepped, slid off the back of the base, and rolled his left ankle. It was an eerily similar injury to the sprained ankle he suffered in 2019 when he rolled the same foot on the front of the base.

Initially, the Angels were wary of seeing Simmons again hurt his ankle, they were elated to learn that it wasn’t as bad as the 2019 injury. In that incident, he suffered a grade-3 ankle sprain and missed nearly a month of the season.

While the original diagnosis estimated that he wouldn’t miss as much time, Simmons has been slower to heal than the team initially thought. However, if he’s able to make it back for the Dodgers series, he’ll be looking at a little more than a two-week absence.

At the time of his injury, Simmons was just 3-for-16 on the season, with a slash-line of .188/.188/.250. While he had not accrued a walk, he was also without a strikeout through the team’s first four games as well.

Now nearing a return, Simmons will find the Angels are a bit of a different unit than the one he left. As such, the team will face a few questions in regard to roster moves to get Simmons back into the lineup.

When Andrelton Simmons returns to the Angels, who will lose their roster spot?

Of course, the Angels will have a more immediate need to resolve when Andrelton Simmons returns from his stay on the injured list. Notably, the team will need to open up a spot on the active roster in order to activate the shortstop.

The most logical choice here would be Luis Rengifo. The infielder was recalled from Long Beach when Simmons was initially injured, giving the Angels a back-up option in the middle infield.

It has been tough sledding for Rengifo since his recall. Over the course of 12 games, the switch-hitter is slashing .125/.243/.156 with just four hits in 32 plate appearances. Likewise, he’s graded out poorly in advanced metrics like exit velocity (40th percentile), hard-hit rate (14th percentile), and xSLG (3rd percentile).

However, it goes beyond just metrics. For Rengifo, it will come down to opportunity and where he’ll get the most at-bats. With Simmons likely forcing Fletcher and La Stella into a platoon, or even the latter into a reserve role, there will be a lack of available playing time for Rengifo.

Ultimately, he’ll be better served being optioned to Long Beach and playing intrasquad games there rather than riding the pine.

How would you like to see the Angels accommodate Andrelton Simmons’ return to the team?