Yankees looking forward to visit from star-studded Angels

Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and the star-studded Los Angeles Angels will begin a three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. 

Yankees fans have to be looking forward to seeing Ohtani, who is scheduled to pitch and be the designated hitter on Thursday, and Trout, who is healthy and banging after an injury-plagued 2021. 

Former Mets righthander Noah Syndergaard is scheduled to start on Tuesday. The Yankees are looking forward to all those matchups. 

They also are looking forward to welcoming back old friend Andrew "Squid'' Velazquez, the Bronx-born shortstop who became a sensation with the Yankees last season and even started the wild-card game against the Red Sox. 

The Angels also have former Yankees infielder Tyler Wade, who has been getting regular playing time and should get more with third baseman Anthony Rendon on the injured list. 

The Angels are 27-22 and in second place in the AL West. They started hot but have lost five in a row and nine of 12. If the season ended today, they would be a playoff team, which would be music to MLB’s ears because of the star power of Ohtani and Trout. 

“They’re playing really well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, they have a number of really good players.” 

Asked what he’s most looking forward to, Boone said: “Obviously, seeing Squid. I know he’s playing really well. I know he’s played really well defensively for them at shortstop, not surprisingly. Wader’s done a good job for them. Obviously, with Trout and Ohtani and [Taylor] Ward, they have an offense that’s been one of the best offenses in the game so far. And then they’ve had kind of the pitching to match it up, too. When you look at their roster and you look at the quality of their players, not surprising that they’re playing well. We look forward to seeing them and seeing some familiar faces.” 

The Angels also have former Mets Juan Lagares and Aaron Loup on their roster. 

Velazquez, 27, was claimed by the Angels when the Yankees tried to pass him through waivers on Nov. 5. He’s batting just .202 but has a 1.1 WAR because of his stellar defense. 

Wade, who spent his first five seasons with the Yankees, is batting .229. 

On Sunday, the Angels lost to Toronto, 11-10, as Ohtani hit two home runs to give him 11 on the season. He is batting .249 with a .795 OPS. 

On the mound, Ohtani is 3-3 with a 3.45 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings. 

The Angels scored 10 runs even though Trout went 0-for-5. The three-time AL MVP is batting .310 with 13 homers and a 1.063 OPS. He  already has appeared in 44 games after playing in only 36 last season because of injuries. 

Syndergaard is 4-2 with a 3.08 ERA in seven starts. Two starts ago, he lasted just two-thirds of an inning against Texas, but the righthander came back in his most recent outing to allow one run in eight innings to the Rangers. 

Rookie lefthander Reid Detmers, who threw a no-hitter against Tampa Bay on May 11, is scheduled to start on Wednesday. 

Ohtani has been dealing with some back stiffness but still is scheduled to pitch on Thursday. If he is the DH for that game, he is allowed to stay in the lineup as a hitter even after he leaves the game as a pitcher under the new “Ohtani Rule” instituted this season. 

The Yankees will counter with (in order) Jordan Montgomery, Nestor Cortes and Jameson Taillon. 

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.