Angels heroic rookie leaves game with injury, Triple-A slugger will make MLB debut

As Angels fans were already mourning the idea of a winning record as the team (once again) fell below .500 in Wednesday’s loss to the Braves, the night was already poor as rookie second baseman (and frequent hero) Christian Moore landed awkwardly on a dive attempting to stop a ball from leaving the infield, leaving the game immediately after.

Immediately after this, the Angels blew the lead, adding insult to injury. Moore has had his ups and downs as a big leaguer, but has proven to be clutch and has been a fiery addition to the lineup. After the game, the Angels released a statement that Moore was dealing with left thumb irritation, and there would not be any further updates on the severity of it until he underwent further tests throughout the night. 

Moore’s call-up was a bright spot of the season, as it indicated not just that the Angels believed the 2024 first rounder was ready for the big leagues, but that he could be a productive contributor at the bottom of the lineup. He has been one of the more clutch players since his arrival, and his defense has been more impressive than anticipated. If Moore is out for an extended period of time, this season essentially becomes a wash for him as the focus will turn to Opening Day in 2026. 

While no official transactions have been made, there are indications that the injury is somewhat serious. Chad Stevens - arguably the best hitter on the Salt Lake Bees roster, appears to have earned a call up to the big leagues himself. 

Stevens is slashing .304/.380/.540 this year, and has played all over the infield while doing so. This will be his major league debut, and the expectation would be that he would play third base, moving the recently rejuvenated Luis Rengifo back to second, though Stevens has logged innings at both spots.

Regardless of injury, Stevens was well worthy of a call-up. Obviously, Halo fans and the Angels organization would have preferred for it to be under better circumstances, but Stevens will undoubtedly bring a reliable bat to the Angels' lineup.

Hopefully, it is not in the place of Moore for an extended period of time. While the further testing does make the situation a little scarier, there is still hope that Moore only needs a trip to the 10-day IL, effectively giving him nearly 2.5 weeks off with the All Star Break at the tail end of that ten days.

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