4 LA Angels players with the most to gain following the latest roster shake-up

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The Los Angeles Angels shook up the baseball world when they announced that they had placed six different players on waivers. Five of the six were claimed with Randal Grichuk being the only one to remain with the Halos.

Losing five players combined with the two players added in September opened seven spots for the Angels to play with. They added a ton of guys who we've seen before, but also added Kyren Paris who just made his MLB debut.

#Angels transactions:

•Recalled RHP Jimmy Herget, LHP Kolton Ingram, RHP Gerardo Reyes, INF Michael Stefanic and RHP Andrew Wantz from Triple-A Salt Lake

•Selected the contract of INF Kyren Paris (#19)
— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) September 1, 2023

The Angels might not have much to play for with the team very clearly out of the postseason race, but individually, some players have a lot to gain from added playing time.

1) Luis Rengifo can prove he's an everyday player with another big month

Had the Angels stuck with the roster they had, Luis Rengifo would've been battling for some playing time. That wouldn't be completely fair since he's been so good, but the Angels do expect both Mike Trout and Zach Neto back at some point. Rengifo likely didn't have an everyday role on lock.

Now that Hunter Renfroe is no longer here and the Angels won't be rushing Trout or Neto back anytime soon, Rengifo will be an everyday player for the remainder of the season. He gets more time to prove he's an everyday player.

It's been a tale of two halves for the Angels utility man. He had a .637 OPS in the first half, hitting just five home runs and driving in 22 while playing most of the time. While the injuries have mounted, Rengifo has played virtually every day in the second half and the script has completely flipped. He's slashing .312/.378/.578 with nine home runs and 24 RBI in 43 second half games.

Rengifo's .956 OPS has him playing like a superstar for the last month and a half. If he continues to hit like this to finish the season, it'll be very hard to not guarantee him a spot somewhere.

2) Jose Soriano can put himself in a high-leverage role if he has a strong finish to his rookie season

Jose Soriano was one of many relievers promoted from AA Rocket City to the majors to help fix a bullpen badly in need of fixing. The young fireballers mostly did well, and Soriano has been no exception to that.

The right-hander has a 3.31 ERA in 28 appearances and 32.2 innings of work. He's struck out 45 in those innings, and has fanned at least one batter in all but three of his outings which is definitely impressive. He's allowed just three home runs and has allowed 6.6 H/9 which are both great marks. The one issue he has is command, as Soriano's walk-rate sits at a very high 13.8%.

Command must improve for Soriano, but if it does, and he continues to pitch well down the stretch, the Angels might have themselves their key set-up man for Carlos Estevez in 2024. Soriano will likely take over the eighth inning duties for now, as the Angels lost Matt Moore, Reynaldo Lopez, and Dominic Leone to waivers.

These games don't matter much for the Angels, but if Soriano comes in and protects leads late, that's a great sign. He'll likely get a lot of work with how depleted this bullpen is, and it'll be exciting to see how his right arm responds.

3) Kyren Paris can carve out a role for 2024 with a big month

The most surprising of the seven call-ups was the Angels bringing Kyren Paris up from AA Rocket City to make his MLB debut. Paris has had a good year in Rocket City and has deserved a shot to see what he can do at the MLB level, but finding a spot is a bit tricky.

Paris is a middle infielder who has only appeared in games at second base and shortstop in his minor league career. The Angels are covered at both of those spots with Brandon Drury at second and Zach Neto at short.

The Angels could move Drury to one of the corners full-time as he has experience at both of those spots, but Nolan Schanuel is likely locked in at first and as long as he's healthy, Anthony Rendon is the third baseman for now. Still even if he doesn't have a full-time role locked up, Paris makes himself a very clear 2024 Opening Day roster candidate if he can get off to a good start in his MLB career.

Paris brings a ton of speed to the table and a base stealing ability that this team mostly lacks. He plays solid defense in the middle infield and has power as well. Strikeouts are the big concern, but if Paris can limit those, I do believe he can be a really good player for the Angels.

Simply put, Paris is one of their top prospects. They'll find a place for him if he earns it. For now, he'll have regular at-bats serving as the team's shortstop. Let's see how he does.

4) Kolton Ingram can find his way onto the 2024 LA Angels roster with a big month

Of all of the young arms the Angels have brought up from the minors this year, Ingram probably has the worst stuff. His fastball tops out at 93-95, and his slider isn't quite as devastating as some of the others, but he's found a way to make it work in the minors.

Ingram had a great year in 2022 which got him placed on the 40-man roster initially, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft, and this season he's done well also. Ingram had a 2.63 ERA in AA Rocket City and had a 3.49 ERA for AAA Salt Lake prior to being one of the many players the Angels called up to begin September.

With Matt Moore gone, Ingram and Aaron Loup are the team's only lefties. With Loup not pitching well for most of the season and likely not returning to the team in 2024, this is the Angels chance to really see how Ingram does in a lefty specialist role.

The Angels have no lefties in their 2024 bullpen as of now, so if Ingram can pitch well in September, he can make himself a name the Angels would have to consider.

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