Yoán

Moncada

Moncada hit a 370-foot blast in the third inning to put Cuba up 3-0 at the time. He also had a 103.4 mph groundout, giving him two of the eight hardest hit balls in the contest. Moncada claims he has dropped 20 pounds during the offseason to stay healthy this year. He will begin the season as the starting third baseman for the Angels and could be worth a roll of the dice in AL-only leagues or deeper fantasy formats.

The 30-year-old infielder hasn’t appeared in more than 100 games in a season since 2022, so anything that he can do to improve his health and durability is a welcomed development. He missed 32 games with right knee inflammation and 22 games with a thumb injury in 2025. Whether or not his new sleek physique will translate to better offensive performance remains to be seen.

This deal was reported last week and is now official after Moncada passed a physical. The 30-year-old played in 84 games for the Angels last season, hitting .234/.336/.448 in 289 plate appearances. He will head into spring training as the favorite to start at third base, with Christian Moore battling Vaughn Grissom and Oswald Peraza for the second base job.

While his defense has declined after all of his injuries, Moncada showed a decent enough bat in 84 games for the Angels last season, hitting .234/.336/.448 in 289 plate appearances. Bringing him back might block Christian Moore in Anaheim, but it’s not like the Angels figure to have Moncada, Mike Trout, Jorge Soler and the rest of the gang healthy all at once very often.

Romero notes that the Angels, Pirates, White Sox and Blue Jays have all inquired on the veteran infielder. The former top prospect spent the 2025 season with the Halos where he slashed .234/.336/.448 with 12 long balls, 35 RBI and a 75/32 K/BB ratio across 289 plate appearances in his 84 games. Wherever he ultimately signs, it’s likely to be in a reserve role and Moncada won’t have much value from a fantasy perspective.

Moncada was back at the hot corner in this one following a three-game absence due to a left ankle ailment. The 30-year-old third baseman should avoid a trip to the injured list and be a full-go for the final week of the regular season.

Moncada continues to be hobbled by a left ankle injury, though as of yet there haven’t been any rumblings about him potentially requiring a trip to the injured list. Luis Rengifo will once again cover the hot corner in his absence and will bat fifth for the Halos against Quinn Priester and the Brewers on Thursday evening in Milwaukee.

Moncada hasn’t played since suffering a left ankle injury during Sunday’s contest against the Mariners. It’ll be Luis Rengifo at the hot corner in his place. He’s presumably day-to-day for now.

Moncada knocked a single and scored a run in the first inning. He later drew a walk and scored a run in the fifth before extending the Angels lead with a three-run blast off Thomas Hatch in the seventh inning. The 30-year-old third baseman is up to 12 homers and 34 RBI while hitting .243/.342/.473 across 257 plate appearances.

Every once in a while, you get a reminder of when Moncada was considered the best prospect in baseball. Not often enough, but here and there, there are games like this. He’s now homered three times in his last two games, and he’s up to 11 in (another) injury-riddled season.