ANAHEIM, Calif. — It’s been 1,069 days since Sebastián Rivero has stepped foot into a Major League batter’s box. On Monday night, he made all of the moment when he stepped up to the plate.
Rivero was called up to the Angels earlier today in place of Logan O’Hoppe after he was put on the team’s injured list for a concussion.
Finding out the news that he was being called up to the big league roster on Sunday night, he recalled it as an emotional moment between him and his wife as the two rejoiced together and broke down in tears.
“It’s been a lot of hard work from my wife. My parents. Myself,” Rivero said. “Theirs a lot of people involved in all of this.”
Rivero was catching behind the plate for Caden Dana, someone he said he was all too familiar with due to their time together in Triple-A Salt Lake.
The two were great in the first inning tonight as Dana needed only 10 pitches to get through the Minnesota Twins (64-80) side, notching two strikeouts.
Paige Creason – The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Angels right handed pitcher Caden Dana (36) walks off of the mound during the MLB game against the Minnesota Twins Monday September 8th, 2025 at Angel’s Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
The second inning was not so great for Dana. He opened the inning with a walk, then gave up a two-run homer to Twins third baseman Royce Lewis by leaving a slider in the lower outside part of the strike zone, to put the Angels (67-77) in a 2-0 deficit.
Rivero and Dana worked together in the second and got through it by retiring three of the next four batters that came up to the plate, including two strikeouts.
Dana was in need of run support in the bottom of the second.
Oswald Peraza opened the inning with a walk, then Matthew Lugo hit a ground ball to left to put both runners on the corner basepaths.
With one of the biggest moments coming in the ball game, up came Rivero.
He made all of the moment.
“It felt good. I’m not gonna lie,” Rivero said. “It’s been a while since I stepped up in a big league field.”
Rivero was down 1-2 in the count after seeing four pitches.
Like how Dana threw a slider in the lower outside part of the strike zone to Lewis in the top half of the inning, Twins pitcher Woods Richardson did the same.
Rivero recognized the pitch and instantly swung at it and drove the ball off the center field wall for a 2-run RBI double.
“At the beginning he threw me on a slider. I think I made a really big swing just to get everything out of me,” Rivero said. “After that I just got to two strikes and he hung me a slider so that was my chance to hit it.”
While it’s been over 1,000 days since Rivero made an appearance in the big leagues, it’s been even longer since he’s hit a double.
September 12, 2021, to be exact.
After getting on base during the inning, Rivero’s night wasn’t over. There was still a baseball game that needed to be finished.
Mike Trout came up to the plate after Rivero’s 2 RBI double and drove him home to get the Angels a 3-2 lead.
After Rivero’s heroics, Mike Trout came up to the plate and drove him home following from an RBI single to left.
I was just trying to get a good lead to scroe from second base for Mike Trout.” Rivero said with a smile on his face. “I mean who wouldn’t want to.”
Rivero went 1-3 for the rest of the night with one walk and two strikeouts.
The Angels had a rough outing defensively and 12-3.
Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery did not have an update on Jo Adell after being scratched just before Monday night’s game due to vertigo. He said the team will be taking it day-by-day and will see how he’s feeling tomorrow.