Top Los Angeles Angels prospect Logan O’Hoppe will be the catcher on Opening Day at Oakland on Thursday with Max Stassi headed to the injured list with hip soreness, manager Phil Nevin said.
O’Hoppe, acquired in last year’s trade that sent outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies, made his MLB debut late last season and played in five games for the Angels.
Los Angeles has a trio of catching options in O’Hoppe, Stassi and Matt Thaiss, who also will be named to the Opening Day roster, according to Nevin.
“Yeah, it’s super humbling,” O’Hoppe said about being in a lineup with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. “I’d be lying If I didn’t say I looked at it and thought, ‘What the hell am I doing there?’ But I’m settling in now and I feel more comfortable and really happy to get going.”
O’Hoppe batted .281 in 12 games this spring with a .799 OPS after he batted .306 with a 1.147 OPS in 29 games with the Angels’ Double-A affiliate Rocket City last season.
Stassi had been away from the team for personal reasons toward the end of spring training and sustained his injury during a minor league game at Arizona on Sunday.
O’Hoppe, 23, will catch Ohtani in Tuesday’s opener against the A’s.
“He worked his tail off all winter to be in this position and he’s earned it,” Nevin said of O’Hoppe, who is the No. 42 overall prospect at Baseball America and No. 53 at mlb.com. “A guy like Ohtani is saying this guy can really catch and I don’t mind throwing to him.”
Nevin also revealed that left-hander Tucker Davidson will make the roster. He was in a battle for the No. 6 starting spot with right-hander Griffin Canning, who is experiencing groin discomfort.
–Field Level Media