Angels Manager Has Unfortunate Christian Moore Injury Update

Los Angeles Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery provided a concerning update on second baseman Christian Moore's sprained thumb, stating there is nothing new in his progress.

“I wish there was more to report,” Montgomery said. “Just time.”

Moore injured his thumb diving for a ball on July 2 against the Atlanta Braves and landed on the 10-day injured list the day after. The rookie had just begun to find his stride in MLB, as he had raised his batting average from .077 to .200 in two weeks at the end of June.

The 22-year-old has three homers — two of which came in a 3-2 walk-off win against the Boston Red Sox where he drove in all three runs — and a .698 OPS this season after playing just 79 games in the minor leagues over the last two seasons.

When Moore landed on the injured list, he estimated he would be back in two weeks, however Montgomery said that would likely be the "best-case scenario."

“I think it’s pretty much up to my body and how it heals itself,” Moore said at the start of July. “Hopefully I can be out there in two weeks. That’s kind of my thing. If I can get out there quicker, obviously we can do some things with the glove, maybe putting something in there.”

With Moore still out for an indefinite amount of time, Luis Rengifo will likely continue to get the nod at second base until his recovery. Rengifo has a perfect fielding percentage at the position through 300 innings this season.

The Angels will hope for their top prospect to return to the team soon, as they will need all the help they can get in the race for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. They are still four games back of the Seattle Mariners, who they will play in a homestand later this month.

The Halos can gain ground on Saturday as they try to take the series off of the Philadelphia Phillies at 3:05 p.m. PT.