3 Angels' veteran hitters that have held the team back so far in 2025

Luis Rengifo has gone from a jack-of-all-trades to a pure negative in the Angels' batting order

Over the last year, Luis Rengifo's name has consistently been bandied about in trade rumors, and for good reason. Clubs have salivated over the possibility of adding an extremely versatile player in every sense of the word to complement whatever core they have built.

Whether it's positional versatility, Rengifo has primarily played second and third but can play some shortstop or outfield in a pinch, switch-hitting, or an offensive approach that can provide both reasonable contact and power production, the 28-year-old has established his value in a multitude of ways.

Like Ward, Rengifo started getting regular playing time in 2022, smacking 17 homers in 127 games. He followed that up the following year with 16 homers in 126 games for nearly identical power production. In 2024, he upped his contact game, batting .300 with just six homers in 78 games before being lost for the season with a wrist injury.

2025 has been a different story for Rengifo. Never known as a great defender at any of his various positions, his value has primarily been tied to his bat over the years. Now that has disappeared.

Rengifo is batting just .227/.252/.300, good for a Ward-like wRC+ of 53. After years defying the quality of his contact, it appears that those concerns have finally caught up with him, bringing up questions as to whether or not the previous three seasons were nothing more than a mirage.

The Angels need Rengifo to get back on track in a bad way. Not only is he an important part of a weak infield that has featured a lot of Tim Anderson (and not in a good way) so far this season, but he was also one of the team's best trade chips.

Rengifo also desperately needs a return to form, and quick, as well. In his last year of team control, he'll hit free agency this offseason, and the longer he struggles, the more money he'll be costing himself.