CHICAGO — Garrett McDaniels spent his spring doing all he could to avoid thinking about what might happen at the end of camp. McDaniels, 25, had thrown just three innings above Class-A when the Angels picked the left-hander in the Rule 5 draft last December. While his experience would typically ma ke him a long shot to make the big-league team, his Rule 5 status put him firmly in the mix. When a player is selected in the major-league portion of the Rule 5 draft, the new team must keep that player in the majors or offer him back to his former team. “I was just going to try to not worry about it too much,” McDaniels said Saturday, as he prepared for his second game on a major-league roster. “Just go out there and be confident in my game and do what I do.” There was a stretch toward the end of spring training when it looked like he might not make it, despite solid work early in camp. The Angels acquired left-hander Angel Perdomo from the Atlanta Braves at around the same time as McDaniels mysteriously disappeared from big-league exhibition games. He did not pitch in a Cactus League game after March 15. It turns out, though, that his absence was because the Angels sent him to the pitching lab to work on improving his slider. McDaniels said he wanted to get it tighter and increase the velocity, and the work in the lab and in side sessions did the trick. “It’s great, because you have so many cameras on you,” McDaniels said. “You’ve got everybody in the pitching department in there. It’s nice to have a bunch of eyes on you, getting different perspectives of what they see.” The Angels ended up designating Perdomo for assignment and keeping McDaniels. It’s the first time the Angels have kept a Rule 5 pick on the Opening Day roster since right-hander Luke Bard in 2018. For McDaniels, who originally signed with the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent, it’s the latest chapter in an unlikely ascent to the majors. He said friends and family members came from South Carolina to Chicago in hopes of seeing his debut. “It’s like a dream come true,” McDaniels said. “I’m happy to be here, for my name to get called.” LINEUP TALK Manager Ron Washington said he’d still like to get Luis Rengifo into the No. 2 spot, but he’s waiting until he’s swinging the bat a little better. Rengifo missed most of the Cactus League schedule because of an illness and a hamstring injury. Washington said he might be there in “three or four more games.” “You can see that he’s getting close,” Washington said. “He’s still not there yet. When you put a guy in that No. 2 hole, they’ve got to be able to do some things. I just think he’s not to that point yet.” In the meantime, Washington has Nolan Schanuel as his No. 2 hitter. He said he may eventually use Rengifo, a switch-hitter, against lefties and Schanuel against righties. Meanwhile, Washington did drop Yoán Moncada right into the No. 5 spot Saturday, in his first start after being out with a thumb injury for more than a week. “Moncada might not be able to start swinging the bat the way we want him to swing it, but he has presence,” Washington said. “He will take a walk. He will make the pitcher throw pitches. We just need to get him up there and get him going and he’ll catch up.” NOTES Left-hander Tyler Anderson will start Monday in St. Louis, followed by right-hander Kyle Hendricks and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. That sets up right-hander José Soriano for the home opener. … Kyren Paris is scheduled to get his first start of the season in center field Sunday. UP NEXT Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 2-6, 3.99 ERA in 2024) at White Sox (RHP Davis Martin, 0-5, 4.32 in 2024), 11:10 a.m. PT Sunday, at Rate Field, FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM Related Articles Angels expect veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud to boost pitching staff Angels blown out by White Sox in season opener Angels’ Jo Adell has opportunity as everyday center fielder Angels’ Mike Trout believes return to MVP form is all about his hands Dodgers’ Mookie Betts returns in Freeway Series finale against Angels ...read more read less