Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada spoke about the knee issue which has plagued him for months after Friday's 3-2 loss against the Chicago Cubs.
Moncada went 2-for-4 in the opening game of the series, hitting two home runs and accounting for all of the Halos' runs on the night. It marked his first multi-homer game for the Angels and brought them back from a 2-0 deficit, however a ninth-inning home run from Pete Crow-Armstrong gave the Cubs the edge.
“The knee has been the same (level of soreness),” Moncada said. “I’m just doing whatever I can to play every game. But let’s see when the season is over. Let’s see what we end up doing.”
While Moncada has been an offensive force for the Angels this season, he has struggled to stay off of the injured list. He missed nearly a month early in the season due to a thumb sprain, and landed back on the injured list after another month with right knee inflammation.
Moncada's knee kept him out for another month after manager Ron Washington predicted he'd be back after the 10-day minimum, and he is still recovering. Moncada, a switch hitter, has only batted from the left side since his return.
“Once his time is up on the (IL), he should be back,” Washington said before his departure from the team in June. “Right now we’re getting him slowly ramped back up into activities.”
The 30-year-old third baseman is batting .234 this season with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs through 60 games. His .791 OPS would rank fourth among qualified Angels behind Mike Trout, Taylor Ward and Zach Neto.
His .791 OPS would be the second-highest mark of his career over a season, despite not being a full one, only behind the 2019 season, where he received MVP votes with the Chicago White Sox.
Moncada was also in the lineup against the Cubs on Saturday — going 0-for-4 with a strikeout as the Halos dropped their third consecutive series — and featured again Sunday against the right-handed Jameson Taillon.
The Angels begin a series against the Texas Rangers on Monday, with first pitch at 5:05 p.m. PT.
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