The Angels made a pair of injury moves before Saturday’s matchup with the Rangers, putting first baseman Nolan Schanuel on the 10-day injured list with a right intercostal strain and sending outfielder Wade Meckler to the 7-day concussion IL.
To fill the roster spots, Los Angeles recalled outfielder Gustavo Campero and infielder Christian Moore.
Both Schanuel and Meckler were already out of the lineup on Friday, which didn’t feel out of place against left-hander MacKenzie Gore. The injury picture became clearer after that. Meckler left Thursday’s game after Astros reliever Bryan King hit him in the head with a pitch, while Schanuel exited in the sixth inning of that same game after telling reporters he felt something in his final at-bat.
“ Thankfully it’s not an oblique,” Schanuel said, relayed by Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. “ It’s like an intercostal strain, the muscle in between my ribs. I’ve never had anything like that, so kind of just leaving it to the trainers and trying to get back on the field as soon as possible.”
This is Schanuel’s second IL stint of the season. He also missed time with left ankle inflammation in late May and early June, returning to post a strong stretch that included an .818 OPS in July. Since then, though, he’s been slashing .254/.343/.356 in August.
Meckler has been one of the more unexpected useful pieces for the Angels since his contract was selected near the end of May. In his first MLB action since 2023, the former Giant has produced a 112 wRC+ in 229 plate appearances. The power hasn’t shown up, but he’s added six steals, reached base at a .360 clip and chipped in 2 Defensive Runs Saved in the corner outfield spots.
Moore now gets another chance to carve out major league reps over the final six weeks of the season. The former eighth overall pick is hitting .302 with 11 homers and 15 steals for Triple-A Salt Lake this year, though his big league sample remains rough at 75 wRC+ over 59 games. Contact has been the hurdle, but he did cut his strikeout rate to 22.5% in the minors this season.
Campero’s path has been a little different. The Angels added him to the 40-man roster in June because of an opt-out clause in his contract, though he was still working back from a broken hand then.
The 28-year-old has a .618 OPS in parts of two seasons with Los Angeles, but he’s put together a strong year in the minors, hitting .313/.389/.525 across three levels. He’s spent most of this season at catcher, even though his only major league appearances with the Angels have come in the outfield.
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