Rendon is expected to face minor league pitching in live at-bats at Angel Stadium sometime this week and would then be able to decide if he needs to play in minor league games before being activated.
ANAHEIM — Anthony Rendon is days away from a key step toward getting back in the Angels’ lineup.
Manager Ron Washington said the Angels are planning to set up some at-bats for the third baseman “by the weekend.”
The Angels would likely bring some minor league pitchers to Angel Stadium and have them pitch to Rendon. They have used a similar strategy to get at-bats for Mike Trout when he was rehabbing in the past few years.
Whether Rendon would then also play some games in the minors remains to be seen. It would be up to Rendon to determine if he needed that.
Rendon, 34, has been out for just over two months because of a torn hamstring. He’s been taking batting practice and doing defensive drills, and he added baserunning this week.
The news on Trout is also somewhat promising, although the three-time American League MVP is still not far enough along to have any kind of timetable.
Washington said Trout told him he’s getting closer to being able to get on the field for baseball work. Trout had knee surgery on May 3.
“He was really excited when I walked in,” Washington said. “He told me ‘Skip, I’m about there.’ About there where he can get out and start doing things. So it’s going to be up to the medical staff when that happens, but he’s in a better mood than the last week or so when he said that he was having discomfort. I think he’s starting to get past that discomfort. And he’s starting to feel like he might be able to get out here and get started. And once we see him on the field doing some things, then we know it’s not too far.”
The Angels will use right-hander Roansy Contreras to start on Wednesday, filling one of the two current holes in the rotation.
Contreras has made 30 major league starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2022, Contreras started in 18 of his 21 games, posting a 3.79 ERA.
He’s been used as a reliever in all 21 of his games this season, including a 3.29 ERA in nine relief appearances with the Angels.
Washington said Contreras will be able to throw about 65 pitches on Wednesday. The Angels currently have nine other relievers to fill out the rest of the innings.
Washington would not commit to Contreras starting again after Wednesday.
“We’re only worried about tomorrow when he gets the ball,” Washington said. “We’re not thinking past that. If we did think something past that, he’ll let us know with his outing.”
The Angels will need to plug one more hole, either Thursday or Friday against the Detroit Tigers. They could then have José Soriano back next week. Soriano is out with an abdominal infection.
The Angels activated Miguel Sanó, who had been out with left knee inflammation since May 1. Sanó’s rehab was interrupted when he burned his leg with a heating pad.
Sanó hit .270 with a .785 OPS in his nine games at Triple-A, but he had six hits, including a double and a homer, on Saturday and Sunday.
Sanó is expected to get occasional starts at third base, in addition to DH. That means Luis Rengifo would move to second or even the outfield.
“We’ve got to find a way to get Sanó in there, and I’ve got to keep the DH spot for other people also,” Washington said. “(Rengifo) is gonna find himself somewhere in that lineup. He’s certainly not going to be on the bench.”
The Angels optioned infielder Michael Stefanic to create a spot for Sanó.
The Angels activated right-hander Chase Silseth from the injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. It was a paperwork move because Silseth was nearing the end of the 30-day limit for a rehab assignment, so he needed to be activated or optioned. When Silseth activated from the 60-day injured list, he returned to the 40-man roster, but the Angels cleared a spot for him by moving Patrick Sandoval to the 60-day injured list. Sandoval is set to have Tommy John surgery. …
Second baseman Brandon Drury had a “setback,” in his recovery from a respiratory infection, Washington said. Drury went through a workout before Monday’s game, but then “didn’t have a very good night,” Washington said. “We all got this stuff, but it seems like it’s hitting him harder than anybody.”
Athletics (RHP Joey Estes, 2-2, 5.53 ERA) at Angels (RHP Roansy Contreras, 0-0, 3.29 ERA), Wednesday, 1:07 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
