Matt

Thaiss

O’Hoppe is going to miss at least one more game after he was hit with a foul ball during Saturday’s contest against Cleveland and he was forced to exit. Matt Thaiss gets the start behind the plate and will hit seventh. O’Hoppe should be considered day-to-day.

Thaiss extended the Angels’ lead to 5-1 with a three-run double in the in the eighth inning. The former first-round pick hasn’t gotten much playing time thus far, and with Logan O’Hoppe locked into an everyday role, that’s unlikely to change.

The Angels are facing Max Meyer, the only right-handed pitcher in the Marlins’ rotation, so it makes sense for the left-handed Thaiss to start today and then have O’Hoppe catch the last two games of the series. It will be Thaiss’ first action of the season. The rest of the Angels’ lineup is: 3B Anthony Rendon, 1B Nolan Schanuel, CF Mike Trout, LF Taylor Ward, 2B Brandon Drury, DH Aaron Hicks, C Matt Thaiss, RF Mickey Moniak, SS Zach Neto

Thaiss landed on the injured list in late August with right shoulder inflammation. He returns to the Angels active roster Sunday and will serve as Logan O’Hoppe’s backup. The 28-year-old is hitting .223/.330/.344 with eight homers and 30 RBI across 291 plate appearances.

The 28-year-old backstop will miss at least a couple of weeks due to a balky throwing shoulder. Chad Wallach was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to add some depth behind the plate while Thaiss is shelved.

Thaiss will catch Chase Silseth with Logan O’Hoppe sitting out the first game on Saturday. With O’Hoppe’s return to the roster, Thaiss will settle back into a backup role, and the 28-year-old is hitting .221/.329/.346 across 283 plate appearances this season.

Thaiss crushed a game-tying solo homer off of Trent Thornton in the seventh inning, tying the game at 2-2. That would be his only hit in three at-bats on the day. For the season, the 28-year-old backstop is now slashing .229/.338/.350 with seven long balls and 27 RBI.

Thaiss got the Angels on the board with his mammoth 438-foot (108.3 mph EV) solo shot off of Luis Severino in the sixth inning. He also drew a walk in the ballgame — and was ejected in the home half of the ninth inning after taking exception to a called-third strike. On the season, Thaiss is hitting .254/.367/.387 to go with six homers and 23 RBI.

Thaiss victimized Red Sox starter Brayan Bello in this one, crushing a 409-foot (104.8 mph EV) solo homer to start the fifth inning that extended the Angels’ lead to 2-0. It was his only hit in four at-bats on the night -- which included a pair of strikeouts. On the season, the hard-hitting backstop is slashing a healthy .291/.374/.418 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBI.

Thaiss opened the season as Logan O’Hoppe’s backup, but he has taken a backseat to a more reliable defender in Chad Wallach since O’Hoppe went down. Thaiss has done solid work offensively when he’s gotten a chance, batting .265/.375/.412 in 40 plate appearances. If he could secure more playing time, he could be an option in two-catcher leagues.