Angels’ Yoán Moncada voices frustration over lingering knee injury
ANAHEIM — Yoán Moncada was supposed to be back by now.
Not only is the Angels’ third baseman still on the injured list, but the slow progress is eating at him.
“Honestly, I feel very frustrated,” Moncada said through an interpreter on Saturday. “I feel very low energy because of this. I want to play and I’m going to keep doing my thing so I can get better as quick as I can.”
Moncada has been bothered by a sore right knee for just over three weeks. For the first few days of the injury, he tried to play through the discomfort. He had to leave two games because he aggravated the injury.
When the Angels finally placed him on the injured list, Manager Ron Washington said he expected Moncada to be ready after the minimum 10 days. He’s more than a week past that now.
“I have been feeling better, but I still feel pain,” Moncada said. “The pain hasn’t gone away.”
Moncada said he can swing left-handed, but not right-handed. He also can’t do any defensive drills.
“I have been trying everything,” Moncada said. “I have seen every doctor. They tell me the same thing: It’s going to go away. That’s it.”
Moncada, 30, has been hurt frequently over the past few years, which is why the Angels were able to sign him to a one-year, $5-million deal just before the start of spring training.
Moncada missed time with a thumb injury in April. After he returned, he began hitting right away. Despite his .237 average, he has a .336 on-base percentage and an OPS of .841, with six homers in 30 games.
Acting manager Ray Montgomery said the Angels have missed his presence in the lineup.
“When you get somebody that can extend an at-bat, push a lineup, push a pitcher, and just give guys the opportunity to see what a guy has on a given day and do earlier in the game — he can do it right from jump street — it’s huge,” Montgomery said.
RISP SLUMP
The Angels hit .121 with a 36% strikeout rate with runners in scoring position over their previous eight games, which is a primary reason that they lost five of those games.
The Angels were 0 for 19 with runners in scoring position in the previous three games, including one that they won.
For most of the season, though, the Angels have been slightly better with runners in scoring position than in other situations.
For the season, the Angels have hit .243 with runners in scoring position, which ranks 18th in the majors. Their strikeout rate in those situations is 27%. Overall, the Angels are hitting .224 (29th) with a strikeout rate of 27%.
Montgomery said the recent slump is not an indication of a team-wide change in approach.
“In that kind of situation, there are ebbs and flows throughout the year, when guys are feeling better, seeing it better,” Montgomery said. “Obviously, the opponents have a lot to do with that, too. I don’t get the sense, just being here throughout the course of the year, that anybody’s doing anything different, pressing or trying to do something different. I just think there’s ups and downs of the season. When it’s going good, you don’t highlight on it, and you feel good about it. And obviously when we don’t do it, it’s pretty glaring.”
NOTES
Ron Washington, who is on a temporary leave from his managing duty because of a health concern, was again at the ballpark to watch pregame workouts from the dugout on Saturday. Washington said he’s hoping to be back on the job soon. …
Second baseman Christian Moore, who is just over a week into his big league career, made an impression by being one of the first ones out of the dugout when tempers flared after Zach Neto was hit by a pitch on Friday. Montgomery said it’s the type of personality Moore showed in college at Tennessee. “He came from a place where he created an atmosphere and an edge,” Montgomery said. “He’ll tell you that. I think he thrives that way. I think that’s part of who he is.”
UP NEXT
Astros (RHP Ryan Gusto, 4-3, 4.31) at Angels (RHP Kyle Hendricks, 5-6, 4.79), Sunday, 1:07 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM