Angels place Anthony Rendon on injured list because of left knee bruise

Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has been placed on the 10-day injured list because of a left knee bruise, an injury he suffered when he fouled a ball off the knee and had to be helped off the field in the eighth inning of Monday night’s game against Tampa Bay.

Rendon, who missed two weeks of April because of a left groin strain, underwent an MRI test on Wednesday that showed “no new issues” outside of the bruise, according to the team, an indication Rendon should be able to return when he is eligible to be activated.

The Rendon transaction was one of a flurry of moves the team made before Wednesday night’s game against the Rays. The Angels also reinstated setup man Mike Mayers from the injured list and recalled outfielders Juan Lagares and Taylor Ward from triple-A Salt Lake.

Reliever James Hoyt was optioned to Salt Lake, and reliever Ben Rowen was designated for assignment. Both Ward and Lagares are in Wednesday night’s lineup, Ward in right field and Lagares in left field in place of Justin Upton, who suffered a right knee bruise in Tuesday night’s game.

Catcher Max Stassi was still sore after being removed in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s game after he fell awkwardly into a railing near the Rays dugout while trying to catch a foul ball.

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With the availability of Upton and Stassi in doubt, manager Joe Maddon opted to not let pitcher and two-way player Shohei Ohtani hit Wednesday night because “if things went poorly early [for Ohtani], it would be difficult to manage the game,” Maddon said.

Phil Gosselin will start at designated hitter against Rays right-hander Andrew Kittredge, who is scheduled to serve as an “opener” for left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who is scheduled to pitch the bulk of the game.

Albert Pujols, who is six for nine with two homers, two doubles and seven RBIs against Yarbrough, a .667 average and 2.283 OPS, is not in the lineup after having started 11 of the team’s last 12 games and 18 of the last 20.