The Los Angeles Angels optioned struggling left fielder Josh Lowe to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday and placed third baseman Yoán Moncada on the 10-day injured list because of right knee inflammation.
The team promoted infielder Donovan Walton and outfielder Wade Meckler from Salt Lake. Both were in the lineup for Friday night’s series opener against the Texas Rangers, with Meckler in left field and Walton at third base.
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (shoulder inflammation) was transferred to the 60-day IL.
The left-handed-hitting Lowe, acquired last winter in a three-team trade from Tampa Bay, hit .184 with a .546 OPS, five homers, two doubles and 14 RBIs in 45 games with 39 strikeouts and six walks.
Lowe hit a two-run homer in the second inning Wednesday night against the Athletics, but he also committed two fielding errors — including one that cost the Angels a run in an eventual 6-5 loss in 10 innings.
“It’s definitely been a grind,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “We want him to take a step back, maybe take some pressure off of him, go down there, where there’s not so much focus on success, and work on what he needs to work on. We expect him back soon.”
The Angels were hoping the 28-year-old Lowe could reprise the 2023 season he had with the Rays, when he hit .292 with an .835 OPS, 20 homers and 83 RBIs in 135 games. But Lowe’s 60-year-old mother, Wendy, died of brain cancer in early March and he got off to a slow start, batting .091 with a .423 OPS in his first 12 games.
The switch-hitting Moncada, 30, who returned to the Angels on a one-year, $4-million deal last winter, is batting .189 with a .605 OPS, three homers, one double and 10 RBIs in 41 games, with 45 strikeouts and 17 walks.
He has also been a liability on defense, committing two errors and accumulating minus-5 outs above average according to Fangraphs, second-worst among 26 big league third basemen with at least 220 innings at the position.
The right knee injury that Moncada suffered last year flared up recently and has made it difficult for him to hit from the right side, where he is 1 for 21 with 12 strikeouts this season. He underwent an MRI test Friday, the results of which were not immediately available.
“He said (the knee) has been bothering him for some time now, and he just felt it was time to say something, get it looked at,” Suzuki said. “It was annoying more than anything.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Angels' Yoán Moncada looks on after stealing second base during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
MONTREAL (AP) — George Russell took the pole Friday for the sprint race Saturday at the Canadian Grand Prix, with Mercedes teammate and Formula 1 points leader Kimi Antonelli second on the starting grid.
Russell, set to defend his Montreal title Sunday, had a fast lap of 1 minute, 12.965 seconds in qualifying for the first sprint race in Montreal. The 28-year-old English driver is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Miami Grand Prix.
“I never doubted myself. I knew what I can do,” Russell said. “Miami was obviously a bit unique. This is an amazing circuit here, high grip, feels like you’re driving a proper Formula 1 car around here, which is how it should be and I’m glad today it came together.”
F1 introduced sprints in 2021. The shortened races cover roughly 60 miles (100 kilometers), about a third of the distance of a Grand Prix event, for a maximum of eight points. A Grand Prix victory is worth 25.
Russell edged Antonelli by 0.068 as Mercedes — winners of all four races this season — introduced upgrades this weekend after McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull closed the gap with new parts in Miami.
“It’s definitely feeling great,” Russell said. “We obviously saw in Miami, McLaren were really close and Ferrari not too far behind. Pleased to have it on the car, pleased to be back in P1, it’s been a little while. But yeah, obviously still big focus for tomorrow.”
Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris took the third spot for the sprint race alongside McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the second row. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was set to start fifth.
Antonelli, the 19-year-old Italian star, has won three straight Grand Prix races to top the standings with 100 points, 20 more than second-place Russell.
The day started with a disrupted practice session as Williams’ Alex Albon crashed into a groundhog on the exit of Turn 7, causing significant damage to his car and forcing him out of sprint qualifying.
Located on Île Notre-Dame in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is well known for featuring wildlife, especially groundhogs.
The Canadian GP is the fifth of 22 stops this season after F1 canceled April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the war in Iran. Following the sprint race Saturday, the drivers will qualify for the Grand Prix race Sunday.
AP Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, of Italy, drives during the practice session at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain celebrates after taking pole following the sprint qualifying session at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain, during the qualifying session for the sprint race at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain drives during the qualifying session for the sprint race at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain, celebrates after taking pole following the sprint qualifying session at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
