The Los Angeles Angels remain without a defined closer as manager Kurt Suzuki confirmed that Kirby Yates is not in line for that role following a blown save against the Oakland Athletics. Yates surrendered a ninth-inning home run to Jeff McNeil, allowing the A’s to win the game with a free runner in the top of the 10th. The right-hander was attempting to earn his first save of the season after missing the first six weeks due to right knee inflammation.
Yates has been limited to four appearances, allowing just one run in three of them prior to Wednesday’s game. The Angels have struggled with the ninth-inning, recording only one save in the past six weeks, a May 5 outing by Ryan Zeferjahn against the Chicago White Sox. Jordan Romano, who was released by the team, accounted for four of the Angels’ five saves in the first two weeks of the season.
Chase Silseth remains the closest thing to a closer, though he has not recorded a save this month. He did have a missed save opportunity in the sixth inning of a recent game, but the Angels still leaned on Yates to pitch in a ninth-inning tie. Yates worked around an error by Vaughn Grissom to log a scoreless frame.
Grissom has started at third base for the third consecutive game, with manager Suzuki confirming a shift in strategy. The Angels have reduced playing time for Yoán Moncada, who is hitting just .189/.308/.297 in 130 plate appearances. Moncada, who was re-signed to a $4 million deal, has struggled with a lingering right knee issue and performs better from the left side of the plate. This season, he has a .225/.330/.360 line against right-handed pitching after posting an .815 OPS in 2023.
“Right now, this is where we’re at,” Suzuki told The Orange County Register. “I’m not saying it’s going to be like this the rest of the year.”
Grissom, acquired from the Boston Red Sox, had a hot start after returning from a wrist injury, hitting .342 in April. However, he has cooled off to a .226/.308/.355 line in 108 plate appearances. The Angels have used a platoon of Oswald Peraza and Adam Frazier at second base but could consider shifting Peraza to third if Grissom doesn’t rebound.
The Angels are currently in a tight division race and will host the Seattle Mariners tomorrow at 4:07 p.m. PT. A decision on Moncada’s future could come after a potential series of games against right-handed starters.
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