Here is the Angels' Opening Day roster

March 28th, 2024

BALTIMORE -- The Angels made their Opening Day roster official roughly four hours before first pitch against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Thursday.

The 26-man roster was essentially in place outside of a competition for the final bullpen role and the last spot on the bench, but those question areas have since been answered. Miguel Sanó won the last bench spot while Jose Soriano will remain in the bullpen despite being stretched out in Spring Training.

Here’s a look at the Opening Day roster:

Catcher (2): ,
The Angels will carry two catchers after trading Max Stassi to the Braves earlier this offseason. O’Hoppe remains their catcher of the future, while Thaiss showed enough last year that he can be a quality backup.

First base (1):
Schanuel was called up to the Majors just 40 days after being drafted with the No. 11 overall pick and he more than held his own, reaching base safely in all 29 games he played in.

Second base (1):
Rengifo, who has fully recovered after undergoing biceps surgery late last season, figures to move around the diamond. Brandon Drury also is expected to see time at second base. Drury, though, is more likely to DH than Rengifo.

Shortstop (1):
Like Schanuel, Neto had a quick ascent to the Majors after being the No. 13 overall pick in the 2022 Draft, and he showed off impressive defense at the position as a rookie. He still needs to work on his durability and consistency at the plate, but he’ll be given the chance to be the club’s everyday shortstop.

Third base (1):
Rendon has had trouble staying on the field with the Angels, as he’s averaged just 49 games over the last three seasons. But he remains under contract through 2026 and is currently healthy.

Outfield (5): , , , ,
The Angels will carry five outfielders and manager Ron Washington said he’ll use the DH spot as necessary to get at-bats for his five outfielders. Trout and Ward are regulars with Moniak, Hicks and Adell sharing time in right field.

DH (1):
Drury is expected to see action all over the infield and will also serve as designated hitter plenty. Trout and Rendon also figure to see time at DH to give them a break from being out in the field.

Bench/Utility (1): Miguel Sanó
The Angels carried an extra infielder in the spring, with that spot on the Opening Day roster up for grabs. Michael Stefanic was the slight favorite for this role, but he suffered a strained left quad in the first game of the spring and has only recently begun light baseball activities, eyeing a hopeful April return. Sanó, who lost 58 pounds since he last played in the Majors in 2022 and hit three Cactus League homers in spring as a non-roster invitee, officially made the team, sharing a post on Instagram expressing his appreciation for securing a spot on a Major League roster once again.

Starting pitchers (5): , , , ,
With Shohei Ohtani gone, the Angels will go back to a five-man rotation instead of the six-man rotation they had been using in recent years. Sandoval was named the Opening Day starter for the first time in his career, and is expected to be followed in the rotation by Anderson, Detmers, Silseth and Canning. They are also surprisingly stretching out José Soriano as a starter, but he’s opening in the bullpen. Zach Plesac was signed to add insurance, while Davis Daniel and Kenny Rosenberg offer additional depth.

Relief pitchers (8): , , Luis García, , José Cisnero, José Suarez, ,
Estévez will be the closer again this season, although he did struggle in the second half. Robert Stephenson was the club’s biggest addition in the offseason, signing for three years and $33 million but is opening the season on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. The Angels signed Moore, García, Cisnero and Cimber to one-year deals this offseason, while Soriano ended up making the club as a reliever after being stretched out as a starter in camp. Suarez is out of options and is slated to be the club’s long reliever to open the year. Zuñiga won the last spot over non-roster invitee Hunter Strickland.