Angels infielder Luis Rengifo underwent surgery to repair a torn left biceps, manager Phil Nevin informed reporters after Friday’s loss to the Tigers (relayed by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). The expectation remains that he’ll be ready for spring training.
Rengifo, 26, suffered the freak injury last week while taking practice swings in the on-deck circle. The Halos initially announced the issue as a tendon rupture, though Nevin said it was a full biceps tear. He was quickly ruled out for the season and placed on the 60-day injured list. It wasn’t clear until Friday that he’d require surgical repair.
It’s a sour end to what had been a strong season for the switch-hitting infielder. Rengifo had been one of the few bright spots in a dismal second half. While he carried a .219/.312/.326 line into the All-Star Break, he raked at a .318/.374/.587 clip from the Midsummer Classic on. That brought his season slash to an above-average .264/.339/.444 mark with 16 home runs through 445 trips to the plate. He almost certainly would’ve surpassed last year’s personal-high 17 longballs were it not for the injury, while he walked at a respectable 9.2% clip after drawing free passes just 3.3% of the time a season ago.
Rengifo has bounced around the diamond. He’s primarily a second baseman but handled regular shortstop duty while Zach Neto was on the injured list. Rengifo can cover third and was playing in the corner outfield upon Neto’s return until his own injury. While public defensive marks haven’t been enamored with his glove anywhere, his versatility and solid offense made him one of the Halos’ more effective position players.
In February, Rengifo won a $2.3M salary at an arbitration hearing. He’ll earn a raise going into 2024 and is eligible for that process through 2025. He’s on track to hit free agency in advance of his age-29 season.
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