Los Angeles

Angels

The lineup: CF Trout, DH Yordan Alvarez, C Shea Langeliers, 3B Junior Caminero, SS Bobby Witt Jr., RF Cody Bellinger, 1B Ben Rice, LF Riley Greene and 2B Ernie Clement. Langeliers’ placement is odd, given that he’s hitting .186/.261/.362 since May 15, but then he did go 6-for-12 with three homers in his one series against the Blue Jays this year. That’s probably what manager John Schneider remembers.

Walton had been designated for assignment by the Angels on Wednesday. The versatile 32-year-old infielder hit .319 (29-for-91) with three long balls and 12 RBI in 97 plate appearances during his time with the Halos. He’ll help to bolster the A’s bench.

The runs came in the second, which featured two walks and a two-run homer from Royce Lewis. The rally might have lasted longer, but Tristan Gray made the third out of the inning on an odd delayed steal attempt that saw him thrown out pretty easily at second base. Johnson walked three in all and struck out just one. With a 6.75 ERA in six starts and three relief appearances, his spot shouldn’t be assured in the second half.

Grindlinger reclassified from the 2027 draft to join this year’s class, and immediately became the top two-way prospect eligible. There’s added intrigue in his profile as a player who doesn’t turn 18 until next April, so it’s very unlikely we’ve seen anything close to the best of the 6-foot-3 southpaw as of yet. As a hitter, he shows a swing from the left side that suggests he could have a plus hit tool, and while there’s not much power present, there’s enough bat speed to project average -- perhaps better -- pop in the coming years. He’s more advanced as a pitcher who touches the mid 90s with his heater with plenty of projection left, and he also shows a quality change and above-average slider at times, too. Whether he focuses on one side or does both, Grindlinger is certainly a fantasy prospect that is worth keeping an eye on, even acknowledging that it could be half a decade before he reaches the majors.

Trout has gone 1-for-9 with a home run and three RBI in a pair of games since returning from the injured list earlier this week. He sat out Friday’s series opener in Minnesota. The 34-year-old generational talent will make an appearance in next week’s All-Star Game in his hometown of Philadelphia, which is a fun storyline heading into the Midsummer Classic. It’s his first appearance in the game itself since 2019.

Seemingly uncomfortable with his breaking balls, Rodriguez completely trashed them away here. While his slider and curveball have combined for about 25% of all the pitches he’s thrown this season, he threw just nine total in this 79-pitch outing. In turn, his fastball, changeup approach didn’t earn a single strikeout and most plate appearances were a grind. Still, he pitched well enough to earn the win and will close the first half with an ugly 7.55 ERA.

It’s been a bit difficult for Yates to get in a groove since very few save opportunities come up for the Angels. Still, he locked this one down and has only allowed one run over his last 12 appearances. It’s been easy to overlook that he’s actually having a fine season with a 3.00 ERA across 24 appearances, but just three saves.

Grissom got the Angels going in the fourth inning with a solo home run off Twins’ starter Zebby Matthews and drove in their final run in the following frame with a sacrifice fly. He could be working his way into an everyday role again with his third straight here and sixth in the Angels’ last nine games.

Trout started each of the first two games since returning from the injured list on Wednesday, so the Angels will give him a breather on Friday night as they ease him back into a full-time workload. Expect him to start the remaining two games over the weekend. Josh Lowe will slide over and cover center field on Friday night while Wade Meckler starts in left field and will bat eighth against Twins’ right-hander Zebby Matthews.

Saucedo was just recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday, but he’ll head back to make room on the active roster for the return of Grayson Rodriguez on Friday night. The 33-year-old hurler holds a 5.40 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and a 6/0 K/BB ratio over 3 1/3 innings in six appearances with the Angels this season.