Angels starting lineup faces significant changes

ANAHEIM, Calif. — As their Angels begin their first August series when the Mets come to Angel Stadium on Friday night, they are suffering from a bad case of deja vu.

Oncd again the Angels (47-62) are facing:

* An injury-depleted starting rotation.

* Another season where Anthony Rendon has only played 33 games before August.

* And Mike Trout will finish the season on the injured list for the fourth consecutive year.

The Angels will again look to evaluate some of their younger players in more prominent spots in the lineup. The starting lineup might look familiar but different as the usual starters will be playing tonight.

Jo Adell will make his third start of the season in center field, Logan O'Hoppe will hit in the three-hole for the first time in his career and Nolan Schanuel is back to leading off for the Angels. 

Luis Rengifo will also rejoin the starting lineup after exiting early Tuesday night's game because of a wrist injury.

Angels manager Ron Washington said Adell play center field at least twice a week and the decision came down to seeing if the success he has had in righ field can transition over to center.

Adell has quietly blossomed into one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball this season. He is tied for second in fielding percentage (.994) in right field with Hunter Renfroe. 

Adell has three fewer assists (3) than Renfroe (6). Initially, Adell was drafted as a center fielder for the Angels back in 2017 and was once regarded as a promising young prospect in their farm system. 

Adell has struggled on defense since his MLB debut in 2020, improving the more he plays. Following the Adell switch, Mickey Moniak will start in right.

O'Hoppe and Taylor Ward also have switched spots in the lineup. For most of the year, O'Hoppe has hit in the middle of the order but will now get a shot at the top of the lineup. 

"Trying to figure out down the stretch here if he can." Washington said. "I know I told you earlier in the year you probably won't see it, but here it is."

"We just wanna again look and see, with the way he's swinging the bat, look and see if he can handle it."

O'Hoppe has been one of the best hitters in the Angels lineup this season, hitting .280 with an OPS of .804 and is tied for the team lead in home runs (16).

O'Hoppe has been the hottest hitter in the Angels lineup, homering the past two nights and hitting .333 and an OPS of .983 during the last seven days.

Washington believes that this could be a regular spot for the second-year catcher.

"When he becomes the player that we think he's gonna become," Washington said, "he's gonna be somewhere in there."

Moore promoted to Double-A

The Angels selected Christian Moore with the eighth pick in this year's draft and the young second baseman has already been impressive going 6 for 11 with an OPS of 1.583, one home run, two doubles and six RBI's.

Moore had four hits and three RBIs on Thursday against Class A Inland Empire 66ers. The Angels quickly moved him up in the minor league ranks to Double-A Rocket City.

While Moore has only two games of professional baseball in his resume, he has played plenty of big-time baseball with the Univesity of Tennessee, which won the College World Series two months ago.

"So far from what I have seen down in Inland, he's a little man amongst boys," Washington said. "He just came out of a big-time college, playing in big-time games and he goes down there playing against 17, 18, 19-year-olds.

"I mean he just looks like he's ready to go somewhere else and get a challenge."