Travis

d'Arnaud

No surprise here following O’Hoppe’s precautionary exit from Monday’s game against the Yankees after being struck in the head by a backswing. Angels manager Ron Washington told reporters the 25-year-old was cleared for a potential concussion, which is encouraging news. It’ll be veteran Travis d’Arnaud behind the plate in his absence. We’re anticipating the Angels will proceed with an abundance of caution with one of their emerging stars, but it sounds like he’s managed to avoid serious injury. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.

The 36-year-old backstop accounted for the Angels’ only extra-base hit of the ballgame with his two-out ground-rule double off of Cabrera in the second inning. As a team, the Halos were only able to muster three total hits in the pitiful offensive performance. On the season, d’Arnaud is now hitting .200/.263/.314 with one homer and four RBI in his first 76 plate appearances.

It’s a routine off day for both O’Hoppe and Neto to close out a series in Sacramento. O’Hoppe has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past week, batting .370 (10-for-27) with four homers over his last seven games. It’ll be Travis d’Arnaud handling the catching duties with Kevin Newman at shortstop.

The Angels led 4-1 for most of the ballgame, but that lead was erased when Will Smith clobbered a two-out, three-run homer in the seventh inning. The 36-year-old backstop answered right back in the next half inning, victimizing Anthony Banda for a 401-foot (104.5 mph EV) solo shot that put the Halos ahead to stay. That blast was his first home run of the 2025 season. He finished the afternoon 2-for-3 plus a walk and is now hitting .200/.250/.317 with three RBI in his first 64 plate appearances.

O’Hoppe’s absence comes as a moderate surprise after he expressed optimism ahead of Tuesday’s series opener that he’d be ready for Wednesday’s showdown. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It’ll be Travis d’Arnaud handling the catching duties for the third straight contest in his absence.

O’Hoppe told reporters he’s feeling better ahead of Tuesday’s showdown against the Rangers, but he’s going to get an extra day off to rest and recover. Fantasy managers should anticipate him being ready for Wednesday’s contest. It’ll be veteran Travis d’Arnaud handling the catching duties in his place.

The veteran catcher played in 92 games for the Rays during the 2019 campaign where he slashed .263/.323/.459 with 16 long balls and 67 RBI. While they were unsuccessful in bringing him back, it shows that the Rays are looking to improve behind the plate. Expect them to continue to explore the free agent market and the trade front for upgrades at the position.

The deal is now official. It’s a decent landing spot for d’Arnaud, who launched 15 homers in 99 contests last year for the Braves. The 35-year-old veteran backstop, who hit free agency last week after Atlanta declined his $8 million club option for 2025, figures to serve as starter Logan O’Hoppe’s primary caddy in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, his official departure paves a clear path for top prospect Drake Baldwin, who has looked impressive recently in the Arizona Fall League, to potentially make Atlanta’s season-opening roster.

Atlanta declined d’Arnaud’s $8 million club option for 2024, and while the veteran catcher won’t get quite as much in 2025, he secures a multi-year deal with a (relatively) similar AAV. he hit .238/.302/.436 with 15 homers last year while spelling Sean Murphy and seeing time as the designated hitter. With Logan O’Hoppe behind the plate, Murphy will likely see a similar role with the Angels, and while his eligibility behind the plate makes him a decent option, he’s not joining a lineup that’s going to provide much chance for quality run production.

Considering Sean Murphy battled a wrist injury and put together a poor 2024 season, it’s surprising that the club would let d’Arnaud move on. However, the 25-year-old did hit just .238/.302/.436 with 15 home runs in 99 games, so perhaps the Braves feel that they can get that production elsewhere. There is still a chance the Braves could try to bring d’Arnaud back later in the offseason, but this could also be good news for Braves catching prospect Drake Baldwin, who is coming off a strong season and could be on the MLB roster next season.