Lagares' offseason was not exactly an easy day at beach
ANAHEIM » The most recent photo on Juan Lagares' Instagram feed was posted on April 19. He's at a beachside cantina near his home in the Dominican Republic, sipping a beverage. His 8-yearold son is unseen, but father and son were together on the shore that afternoon. It was a good day.
It's not a typical April day for a Major League Baseball player. Lagares, 33, nearly went all winter and all spring without a contract. His minor league deal with the Angels became official on May 8.
The veteran outfielder said he had other offers to consider, but “I decided to come back here because I had a good time last year. Good group of guys. They know me. I think I made the right decision.”
Instagram is notorious for creating false impressions. Lagares had no intention of spending this season at the beach. Although he was hoping to sign a major league contract after electing free agency last November, Lagares was not ready to call it a career when the Angels came calling with an opening in the outfield at Triple-A Salt Lake.
Lagares was the Angels' fourth outfielder in 2021. Because Mike Trout's calf injury cost him most of the season,
Lagares saw action in 112 games. He finished the year with a .236 batting average, six home runs, and 38 RBIs.
After the season, Lagares went home and played 20 games with the Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican Winter League. He continued to train at their home stadium, Estadio Cibao, after the lockout ended. Playing in the majors was Plan A for 2022; Lagares said there was no Plan B.
“That's what I know,” he said. “I hope I do my job and they can call me as soon as possible.”
Lagares got his second consecutive start in right field on Friday, giving Taylor Ward's injured shoulder another needed day of rest.
An extended offseason and a minor league contract were not what Lagares had in mind, but it came with a silver lining: more face time with his son outside of, well, FaceTime.
“Last year I didn't have the opportunity to see him a lot,” Lagares said. “This year, I had the time. He's still little. I try to explain to him every time he tells me he wants to see me, I can't.”
Injury updates
The Angels ordered an MRI on third baseman Anthony Rendon's sore right wrist. He was not in the starting lineup Friday after exacerbating the injury on a swing in Thursday's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Tyler Wade got the start at third base instead. He and Matt Duffy will get the lion's share of innings in Rendon's absence, Manager Joe Maddon said, unless Rendon is placed on the injured list and the Angels are able to recall an extra infielder – likely Jack Mayfield – from Triple-A.
Rendon has appeared in 41 of the Angels' 46 games this season. His 173 plate appearances rank second on the team to Shohei Ohtani, who coincidentally sat out Friday's game with a stiff back. Rendon is hitting .242 with five home runs and 23 RBIs in the third year of a seven-year, $245 million contract.
Head athletic trainer Mike Frostad said Ohtani's injury is to the middle-right side of his back. The injury cropped up in the third inning of Thursday's game, in which Ohtani threw six innings and allowed five runs.
Although he wasn't in the lineup Friday, Ohtani was expected to be available off the bench and possibly resume DH duties today. With Ohtani out, Ward started at DH for the first time since May 20.
Frostad said Ward's shoulder strength is up to “65, 70 percent.”
Left-hander Jose Quijada, who threw one inning for Single-A Inland Empire on Thursday, is eligible to be reinstated after completing his rehab assignment, Frostad said.