DENVER — Christian Moore can look back now and see the value in the time he spent at Triple-A.
“Being a little humbled by going back to Triple-A,” the second baseman said. “Those two weeks definitely got my head back to where I needed to be. I got hungry again. And I’m still hungry.”
Moore, the Angels’ 22-year-old former top prospect, has been through three distinctly different phases in his rookie season.
There was the period from his June 13 debut until he suffered a sprained thumb on July 2, a period between his return on Aug. 2 and his demotion to the minors on Sept. 1, and what’s happened since he’s been back on Sept. 13.
His OPS was .698 before he got hurt, .556 in the month after he came back from the injury, and now 1.148 in his first six games since returning.
“Now there’s an expectation and maybe a little bit of a sense of urgency of things he needs to do, and that got in the way of what he was doing,” Montgomery said. “I think the two weeks he was in Salt Lake kind of reset his mindset. Since he’s been back, we’re back to seeing what we saw prior (to the injury). I expect nothing but good going forward, and he will continue with what he’s been doing.”
Moore, who has hit three home runs since coming back from Salt Lake, said he feels more comfortable in the major leagues now.
“Just slowing the game down,” Moore said. “The more you’re out there, the more reps you get at anything, the better you’ll be.”
Moore said he specifically feels more prepared for how pitchers are approaching him.
“Understanding what they’re trying to do me up in the box,” Moore said. “Now I have enough amount of ABs where I know I can look at certain areas and don’t swing at certain pitches.”
STEPHENSON OUT
Right-hander Robert Stephenson’s season came to an end after he didn’t feel right on the final two pitches of his outing on Friday night.
Stephenson was placed on the injured list on Saturday because of right elbow inflammation. He is set to undergo an MRI exam when the Angels get home after the weekend.
Stephenson underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024.
“Definitely not as concerned as I was last year,” Stephenson said. “I’m not going to make any assumptions until we get some pictures on it first. I don’t think it’s too serious, hopefully.”
The Angels signed Stephenson, 32, to a three-year, $33 million deal before last season. He has only pitched 12 games with the Angels through the first two years of the deal. The Angels have him at least through next season, with a $2.5 million option for 2027. The option kicked in as a result of his elbow surgery.
The Angels recalled right-hander Sam Bachman to take Stephenson’s roster spot. Bachman has allowed two earned runs over his last 16 innings at Triple-A.
NOTES
Right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn (right knee tendinitis) is eligible to come off the injured list on Sunday. Zeferjahn has been throwing off a mound for the past week. …
The Angels are still waiting to get a further evaluation of left-hander Reid Detmers, who is out for the rest of the season because of an elbow injury.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Caden Dana, 0-2, 7.45 ERA) at Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland, 4-16, 5.14 ERA), Sunday, 12:10 p.m. PT, FDSN West, 830 AM