Luis Rengifo

Luis Jose Rengifo

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lbs.

• Debut April 25, 2019

• Born February 26, 1997 in Naguanagua, Carabobo Venezuela

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder Luis Rengifo made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Angels early in the 2019 season and became the team's starting second baseman, hitting .238 in 108 games, with 7 homers and 33 RBIs. Originally, David Fletcher was slated to play second base, with veteran Zack Cozart at third base, but when Cozart failed to hit, it changed the Halos' plans, and gave Rengifo an opportunity to play regularly. However, it was only a temporary fix, as after the season, the Angels signed veteran Anthony Rendon as a free agent to play third base, returning Fletcher to second and making Rengifo expendable. On February 4, 2020, the Angels traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in return for OF Joc Pederson and Andy Pages. However, the deal was cancelled a few days later when the Mookie Betts deal had to be re-worked, and the Angels lost patience and decided to back out, tired of waiting for the Dodgers to confirm the trade.

Rengifo was originally signed by the Seattle Mariners in 2013 and played in their organization from 2013 to 2017. On August 6, 2017, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a five-player trade, then on March 20, 2018, he was traded again, this time to the Angels, as the player to be named later for 1B C.J. Cron. He hit .250 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs between two teams in 2017, and .299 with 7 homers and 64 RBIs split among three teams in the Angels' system in 2018. He was playing in AAA with the Salt Lake Bees when he was first called up to the majors in 2019.

On September 14, 2021, various news sites in Venezuela reported that an arrest warrant had been issued for him, reportedly for forging divorce documents in order to sell properties in the country without his wife's consent. Members of his family including his father and sister had already been detained in connection with the fraud.

Further Reading

• Jack Harris (Los Angeles Times): "Arrest warrant reportedly issued against Angels' Luis Rengifo in Venezuela", Yahoo! Sports, September 15, 2021. [1]

Related Sites

• Luis Rengifo on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• minorleagueball.com scouting report
• halosheaven.com article
• minorleagueball.com article