Days from now, Anthony Rendon will take a crucial step toward rejoining the Angels lineup.

The Angels intend to arrange for the third baseman to have some at-bats “by the weekend,” according to manager Ron Washingtоn.

It is probable that the Angels will send a few minor league pitchers to Angel Stadium to face Rendon. They have obtained at-bats for Mike Trout throughout his rehabilitation in recent years by employing a similar tactic.

It’s unclear if Rendon would then participate in some minor league games. Rendon would have to decide if he really needed that.

Due to a strained hamstring, Rendon, 34, has missed little over two months of play. This week, in addition to his defensive drills and batting practice, he added baserunning.

Though Trout, the three-time American League MVP, is still not far enough along to set a timeline, the news on him is also fairly encouraging.

Washingtоn claimed that Trout informed him that he was getting closer to being able to play baseball. On May 3, Trout underwent knee surgery.

Washingtоn recalled, “When I walked in, he was really excited.” “He said, ‘Skip, I’m almost there.'” That’s where he may exit and begin his activities. He’s in a better mood than he was the previous week or so when he reported feeling uncomfortable, but it will be up to the medical team to decide when that occurs. I believe that he is beginning to move past that uneasiness. And he’s beginning to believe that he could be able to leave and get going. And we can tell it’s not too far away when we witness him acting in certain ways on the pitch.

TRERAS AT FIRSTOn Wednesday, Roansy Contreras, a right-hander, will start for the Angels, covering one of the two voids in the rotation.

With the Pittsburgh Pirates, Contreras has made 30 starts in the major leagues. Contreras started 18 of his 21 games in 2022 and finished with a 3.79 ERA.

In all 21 of his games this season, he has relieved, and in his nine relief appearances with the Angels, he has a 3.29 ERA.

According to Washingtоn, Contreras will have roughly 65 pitches to throw on Wednesday. To finish the remaining innings, the Angels currently have nine different relievers at their disposal.

After Wednesday, Washingtоn would not guarantee that Contreras would start.

Washingtоn stated, “We’re only concerned about when he gets the ball tomorrow.” “We don’t have any other ideas. He’ll let us know with his outing if we did thought of anything further.

When the Angels play the Detroit Tigers on Thursday or Friday, they will have one more hole to close. The following week, José Soriano might return. Due to an illness in his abdomen, Soriano is out.

SANÑ IS BACKMiguel Sanó, who hasn’t played since May 1 due to tendinitis in his left knee, was activated by the Angels. Sanó burned his leg on a heating pad, which put an end to his rehabilitation.

In his nine games at Triple-A, Sanó Һit.270 with an OPS of.785, but on Saturday and Sunday, he had six hits, including a double and a home run.

Sanó is anticipated to start games at third base on occasion in addition to DH. Luis Rengifo would therefore shift to second base or even the outfield.

“I need to reserve the DH spot for other people as well, and we need to figure out a way to get Sanó in there,” Washingtоn stated. “(Rengifo) will end up anywhere in that starting lineup. He won’t be sitting on the bench, for sure.

In order to make room for Sanó, the Angels optioned infielder Michael Stefanic.

ObservationsChase Silseth, a right-hander, was optioned to Triple-A by the Angels after being recalled from the disabled list. Silseth needed to be activated or optioned because he was almost out of the allotted thirty days for his rehab assignment. This was a paperwork move. The Angels moved Patrick Sandoval to the 60-day injured list to make room for Silseth when he activated from the 60-day disabled list and rejoined the 40-man roster. Sandoval is scheduled to have surgery on his elbow. ..

According to Washingtоn, second baseman Brandon Drury experienced a “setback” in his recuperation from a respiratory infectiоn. Prior to Monday’s game, Drury worked out, but according to Washingtоn, he “didn’t have a very good night.” “This is something we all have, but it seems like it’s affecting him more than anyone else.”