Angels place Andrelton Simmons on injured list with ankle sprain

The Angels placed shortstop Andrelton Simmons on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a left ankle sprain, one day after he tweaked his ankle at first base on an infield single in the ninth inning on Monday in Oakland. He was removed for a pinch-runner.

Ankle injuries have plagued Simmons the last few years, with three injured list stints. He missed eight games with a right ankle sprain in 2018, then last year missed 34 games in May and June, and another 19 games in August with left ankle sprains.

“He probably knows how to deal with it,” manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday on a conference call. “But he was upbeat, if that’s possible, walking out of the ballpark yesterday.”

David Fletcher, who started the first four games of the season at third base, starts at shortstop in place of Simmons on Tuesday.

The Angels activated Luis Rengifo from the injured list, giving them another middle infield depth option.

Rengifo started 11 games at shortstop in the majors in 2019, plus 12 more in Triple-A Salt Lake. But his main position for the Angels was second base, where he started 90 games, and even added three games in left field in the minors. Maddon appreciated Rengifo’s versatility.

“He can absolutely can play all over the place, which I think is going to be a strong suit,” Maddon said. “The big thing with him is that he hits from both sides and that’s what makes it very valuable.”

Rengifo hit .238/.321/.364 in 108 games for the Angels last season, and did his most damage against right-handed pitchers, hitting .246/.342/.381 with a nearly league-average 98 wRC+, compared to a 62 wRC+ against left-handers.