Now that Rendon has blown up the board, where do the Angels infield pieces land?

Spring training for the Angels’ infield hopefuls got a lot hotter before most of them had even arrived in Arizona. All of the offseason talk - and there was a lot of it - regarding who would play second and third base, and who they have or should have brought in, was predicated on the fact that Anthony Rendon was a terrible option to be the Opening Day third baseman – but he was an option. Not anymore.

The announcement of another major, potentially career-ending injury to Rendon threw whatever deck of cards the Angels were playing from across the room. But does it add or subtract to any clarity going forward?

Now that Rendon has blown up the board, where do the Angels infield pieces land?

The late signing of Yoán Moncada now looks like a serendipitous move, although given how opaque the Angels front office has been around injuries, it's fair to wonder about the timing. The feeling was that Moncada would put pressure on Rendon to either shape up or sit down, that these two oft-injured infielders would push each other through spring to prove they weren’t just picking up a paycheck. Third base is now Moncada’s position to lose.

He will still have some competition. Scott Kingery and J.D. Davis are hoping for bounce-back years themselves, and Matthew Lugo could see reps at the hot corner despite exclusively playing the outfield in 2024. Cole Fontenelle, Carter Kieboom, Kyren Paris and Yolmer Sanchez will also be on the outside looking in at spring training The versatile Kevin Newman is still listed as third base depth, but he’s far more likely to be in play up the middle while Zach Neto remains out.  

Speaking of the middle infield, Christian Moore’s likelihood of making the opening day roster suddenly feels a lot clearer. If he has an outrageous spring, and genuinely forces the Angels' hand, great. Barring that, though, he should start the year in the minors, acclimate to top-level pitching, and work on his defense – but keep a go-bag ready, as he’s likely the first man up as soon as anything goes awry.

Assuming Moncada holds onto third, Luis Rengifo might be in the unusual position of, well, knowing his position. Over the last few seasons, Rengifo has, at various times, been one of the Angels most consistent players, an obvious trade chip, a spare wheel and an under-appreciated jack-of-all-trades. Now he seems a lock to start the season as the everyday second baseman, even though he’s been marginally better at third. Newman and Tim Anderson will be in the mix, but again, until Neto is ready, they’re far more likely to be competing at shortstop. After that it’s most of the same names vying for third who are also fallback options at second.

Barring further injury or any other spring disaster, an Opening Day lineup with Moncada at third, Rengifo at second and Newman at short seems like a safe bet, with Anderson, Davis and Kingery hoping to muddy the waters a little. Add in Neto when he’s healthy, and Moore when he’s ready, and those waters aren’t as shallow as they have been.

Rendon’s injury has taken one massive decision out of the Angels’ hands. They still need to work out what to do with his now inarguably disastrous contract, but at least any temptation to cross their fingers, give him the starting spot and hope for the best is gone. As silver linings go, it’s slim, but it’s something.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout