Tim

Anderson

Coming off a year and a half run as one of the game’s very worst players, Anderson didn’t really do much of anything to earn a spot on the Angels this spring, and it’s hard to understand why he’s playing now. If the Angels don’t believe in Paris — which is justifiable, even if his batted ball numbers this year are still pretty good overall — Kevin Newman sure figures to be the better alternative going forward. Anderson is batting .176/.222/.196 through 54 plate appearances. He has a 27 OPS+ since the beginning of last year and a 49 OPS+ since the beginning of 2023.

The 23-year-old blasted five homers and swiped four bases within his first 30 plate appearances on the season, but since then he’s slashing a pitiful .111/.179/.139 with an 18/1 K/BB ratio over 40 plate appearances. A day off to clear his head will hopefully do him some good. Tim Anderson will start in his place at second base and bat ninth for the Halos against Twins’ right-hander Pablo Lopez.

Anderson has been better than expected defensively, but there’s been little sign of an offensive renaissance here. The good news is that the Angels should have Zach Neto back in 7-10 days, and with Kyren Paris establishing himself at second, Anderson figures to become a true bench guy later this month. Nicky Lopez is probably going to find himself out of work at that time.

Anderson won a spot on the Opening Day roster after hitting .250/.297/.317 with one home run and three steals. With Zach Neto (shoulder) starting the year on the IL, Kevin Newman will be the starting shortstop with Anderson filling in at second base. The Angels’ full lineup is: Taylor Ward LF, Nolan Schanuel 1B, Mike Trout RF, Jorge Soler DH, Tim Anderson 2B, Luis Rengifo 3B, Logan O’Hoppe C, Jo Adell CF, Kevin Newman SS.

Anderson will be the Angels’ second baseman on Opening Day, even though he’s been arguably the worst player in the majors since mid-2022 and didn’t really do anything this spring to suggest that he’s better now. With the hitless game tonight, he finishes up hitting .250/.297/.317 in 64 plate appearances.

Anderson has officially made Los Angeles’ season-opening roster and will be the club’s starting shortstop while Zach Neto (shoulder) is sidelined. It’s an open question whether the 31-year-old former All-Star has anything left in the tank, but the Angels are going to give him a couple weeks to prove it. There’s some fantasy appeal here in AL-only leagues as a cheap speed source, but we’re not anticipating a significant impact.

Moncada isn’t currently throwing or hitting. He’s also just 4-for-28 overall this spring, so it seems like an IL stint might be for the best even if he’s physically capable of playing Thursday. If Moncada does miss some time, Luis Rengifo will slide to third base, probably opening up second for, gulp, Tim Anderson.

With Zach Neto (shoulder) sidelined at the outset of the year, and Yoán Moncada dealing with a thumb issue, there are multiple avenues for Anderson to break camp with the Angels in a starting role. The 31-year-old infielder might’ve hit rock bottom last year with the Marlins, but he’s shown a little bit of a spark this spring, batting .275 (11-for-40) with one homer and three steals. There could be some sneaky value here for fantasy managers in extremely deep mixed league and AL-only formats, at least for a few weeks until Neto is ready to make his season debut.

Moncada was scratched from Friday’s lineup with a sore thumb, but Angels beat writer Jeff Fletcher reports that it’s worse than initially thought and the third baseman could miss Opening Day. If the 29-year-old third baseman is out, it would open the door for Tim Anderson to play second base with Kevin Newman at shortstop and Luis Rengifo at third base.

Baby steps. Neto has already been ruled out for Opening Day as he recovers from November shoulder surgery. Angels manager Ron Washington has said the 24-year-old shortstop should debut sometime in April and there’s no reason to adjust that timeline yet. Kevin Newman and Tim Anderson are the leaders in the clubhouse to fill in for the Angels at shortstop until Neto is ready. Neto is still the only Angels shortstop with fantasy value, though managers that select him will need a replacement for at least the first few weeks of the season.