The Angels announced before tonight's game against the Mets that the club has picked up the infielder's contract Charles Leblanc. The Angels already had some 40-man roster space available after this week's trade deadline, meaning no corresponding move was needed to make room for Leblanc on the 40-man roster. Leblanc will replace the midfielder Luis Rengifo on the active roster as Rengifo was placed on the 10-day IL due to wrist inflammation.
Rengifo, 27, received a lot of trade interest near the deadline but ended up staying in Anaheim, possibly due to concerns surrounding his wrist. The switch-hitter was placed on IL with right wrist inflammation just under a month ago and was sidelined for nearly three weeks before being active one week before the deadline. Rengifo has struggled since his return, however, hitting just .188/.257/.219 in nine games. A weeklong slump doesn't mean anything is serious, but manager Ron Washington told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register ) earlier this week that Rengifo had been dealing with a “flare up” in his previous wrist. injury and will be updated in the coming days.
The infielder was out the next day but appeared in yesterday's contest, taking two at-bats before exiting in the fifth inning. Apparently, Rengifo's ongoing wrist problems have now escalated to the point where the club feel he should be replaced a second time on the shelf. It's not yet clear what the 27-year-old's return looks like at this point, but it's certainly a disappointing situation for the youngster who was enjoying a breakout season before the injury. Through July 2, Rengifo has posted an impressive .319/.362/.448 line in 266 trips to the plate while splitting time between second and third base along with cameos at shortstop and right field. His bat, defensive versatility, and youth will all make him a trade attraction again this offseason, when he will go through his final outing in the league before being granted free agency.
As for Leblanc, the 28-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Angels back in November and will now get his first chance in the majors starting in 2022. The debut came six years later as a member of the Marlins. He eventually played in 48 games in Miami, hitting a respectable .263/.320/.404 with ten doubles, four homers, and four stolen bases in 169 trips to the plate for the club while splitting time between first base, second base , and the third base. Leblanc spent the 2023 season in the minors with Miami and hit a solid .253/.384/.423 but was unable to crack the big league club. In 91 games at Triple-A with the Halos this year, Leblanc showed similar on-base ability with more pop as he hit .262/.382/.472 in Pacific Coast's offense-friendly environment League. He will give the Angels depth with their infield mix currently between injuries to both Rengifo and Anthony Rendon.
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