SEATTLE -- With shortstop Zach Neto dealing with left wrist soreness, the Angels bolstered their infield by calling up prospects Christian Moore and Denzer Guzman before Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
It marked a return to the Majors for Moore, who was ranked the club’s No. 1 prospect before graduating from prospect status, but the first time in the big leagues for Guzman, who is ranked the club’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline. Both were in the lineup with Moore starting at second base and hitting fifth, and Guzman starting at shortstop and batting seventh. Moore went 0-for-3 with a walk and Guzman went 0-for-3 with a strong defensive play in the eighth inning.
To make room for them, outfielder Matthew Lugo was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake and infielder Scott Kingery was designated for assignment.
And while it was the Major League debut for Guzman, it was also the first game as acting manager for bench coach Ryan Goins, with interim manager Ray Montgomery away from the team for two games to attend his father-in-law’s funeral.
“Just seeing him coming today, you can tell he's nervous, right?” Goins said about Guzman. "Like, same with me. I'm going to be nervous when I manage the games. It's fun to see. It's fun to kind of share some of the nerves with someone. But he’s really good at short, he's really good at third. He gives you a good at-bat. He really enjoys to play the game.”
Moore, 22, already had a taste of the Majors, hitting .195/.287/.336 with four homers, two doubles, a triple and 12 RBIs in 39 games. But he was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sept. 1 to give him some time to clear his head and work on his swing. Moore hit .175 with a homer, a triple and eight RBIs in 10 games and said the experience helped his mindset.
“It was nice to get a breather and reset my mind a little bit,” Moore said. “Figured out why I got here in the first place. My head's a little more clear now, and I can just play ball. I found my happiness again, enjoying the game, being a kid, going out there diving around, just having a good time again.”
Guzman, 21, had his contract selected from Triple-A after he hit .262/.366/.454 with six homers, seven doubles and 21 RBIs in 36 games, despite being almost six years younger than the average competition. He also batted .242/.334/.415 with 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 93 games at Double-A Rocket City to earn a promotion to Triple-A in early August.
Guzman, who signed for $2 million as part of the 2021 international signing class out of the Dominican Republic, is considered a strong defender who has seen time at shortstop and third base this year. He also brings power from his 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame.
“It means a lot to me,” Guzman said through interpreter Manny Del Campo. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a kid. I’ve been working for this and now I’m really happy.”
Guzman is expected to see action at shortstop in the short term with Neto dealing with his wrist injury. He initially sustained it on a hit by pitch from Reds right-hander Nick Martinez on Aug. 20 and aggravated it on a swing on Thursday. He was held out of the lineup for a second straight game and said it’s still bothering him but he believes he’d be available off the bench.
“It still feels sore,” Neto said. “It’s one of those day-to-day things. For now, it's just trying to treat it and to just help the team if I get in the game.”