Brutal Angels injury updates on Jack Kochanowicz and Yoan Moncada may have real silver lining

Injuries are an unfortunate part of life in the MLB, and something that no fan should ever wish on a player. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Angels have gotten some really bad news on the injury front recently with Jack Kochanowicz and Yoan Moncada, which puts both players' futures in doubt.

In Kochanowicz's last start on June 6, the Los Angeles Dodgers ambushed him right out of the gate. The 25-year-old lasted just 1/3 of an inning, giving up six hits, a walk, and seven runs before being pulled. After the game, Kochanowicz was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation, stating that his elbow had bothered him over his last three starts while throwing his changeup. Further testing revealed a torn UCL and a need for the righty to undergo Tommy John surgery.

“Honestly, I didn't think this was in the cards,” Kochanowicz said after learning the news. “I really thought [my elbow] was just maybe a little angry. I mean, my velo was fine, the fastballs, everything was fine. It really was just the changeup. So I thought I was going to hear back today that it was all right, but it is what it is.”

Meanwhile, Moncada has dealt with right knee issues since last season and has been on the IL since May 22. Now it's been determined that he needs surgery to clear up the issue, and his timetable to return is unknown.

The latest Jack Kochanowicz and Yoan Moncada injury news has a silver lining for the Angels

Kochanowicz was staring down a make-or-break season entering 2026. He had a brief flash of competence with a 3.99 ERA over 11 starts in 2024, but it was clearly a mirage given his ridiculously low 9.4% K-rate. What followed was a brutal performance in 2025, and despite a hot start this year, he had fallen off before his elbow troubles had cropped up.

As for Moncada, injuries have been a major factor for the 31-year-old over the past several years. They held him out of nearly half the games last year in his first season with Los Angeles. While he hit relatively well when he was healthy, slashing .234/.336/.448 over 84 games, that came with a 26% strikeout rate and a league-worst defensive performance at the hot corner with -10 defensive runs saved and -13 outs above average despite only logging 592 2/3 innings in the field.

This year, Moncada's defense has continued to be atrocious, and his strikeouts have gotten out of hand at 34.6%, while his bat disappeared completely with a .189/.308/.297 line. It's been clear to everyone but the Angels that top prospect Denzer Guzman, who is finally up in the majors, has been a better option than Moncada for a long while.

For too long, more talented young arms like Caden Dana and Sam Aldegheri have been passed over, while Kochanowicz has proven time and time again that he's not a rotation answer. Now, it likely comes down to those two former top prospects and flame-throwing George Klassen as his replacement in the rotation.

That young trio might not immediately perform much better, but their upside is much higher, and over time, at least one may prove to be a future building block. Kochanowicz was not that, and that had been clear for a very long time.

Moncada mercifully is a free agent at season's end, and this should be the last we see of him in an Angels uniform. We'll see what Guzman can do, but again, the upside is significantly higher than anything that Moncada provided.

You never like to see injuries, but in these two cases, the Angels have been saved from themselves. It was highly unlikely they'd pull the plug on these struggling veterans without the injuries, but now the decision has been taken out of their hands, and the young players can actually have a runway to develop at the major league level.

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