Biography
Luis Jose Rengifo (born February 26, 1997) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2019.
Career
Seattle Mariners
Rengifo signed with the Seattle Mariners as an international free agent in March 2014. He made his professional debut that year with the Venezuelan Summer League Mariners, batting .198 with one home run and 20 runs batted-in in 64 games. He played 2015 with the Dominican Summer League Mariners where he slashed .336/.405/.465 with two home runs, 35 runs batted in, and 19 stolen bases in 60 games, 2016 with the Arizona League Mariners where he hit .239 in 34 games, and started 2017 with the Clinton LumberKings.
Tampa Bay Rays
On August 6, 2017, the Mariners traded Rengifo along with Anthony Misiewicz and a player to be named later (Osmy Gregorio), to the Tampa Bay Rays for Mike Marjama and Ryan Garton. He finished the season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. In 125 games between Clinton and Bowling Green, he hit .250 with 12 home runs, 52 runs batted in, and 34 stolen bases.
Los Angeles Angels
On March 20, 2018, Rengifo was acquired by the Los Angeles Angels as the player to be named later from an earlier trade for C. J. Cron. He started the season with the Inland Empire 66ers and was promoted to the Mobile BayBears and Salt Lake Bees during the season. In 127 games between the three clubs, he hit .299/.399/.452 with seven home runs, 64 runs batted in, 41 stolen bases, and 109 runs scored.
On November 20, 2018, the Angels added Rengifo to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He began 2019 back with Salt Lake. On April 25, he was called up to the major league roster, and made his major league debut that night. He finished the season hitting .238 with seven home runs and 33 runs batted in during 108 games.
In early 2020, Rengifo was nearly traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling, but the trade fell through. Rengifo began the season as the Angels' primary second baseman but struggled and was sent down to the minors. He finished with a .156 batting average in 33 games. Rengifo played in 54 games for the Angels in 2021, slashing .201/.246/.310 with six home runs and 18 RBI.
On September 16, 2022, Rengifo recorded his first multi-home run game, in an 8–7 home victory over his former organization, the Seattle Mariners. He went 3–for–5, hit a solo home run off of starter Robbie Ray as a right-handed batter, and hit a 3-run shot off reliever Matt Festa as a left-handed batter. In 2022 he batted .264/.294/.429. He walked in 3.3% of his plate appearances, the lowest percentage of all qualified major league batters. 15.8% of pitches thrown to him were curveballs, the highest such percentage in the majors.
In 2023, Rengifo enjoyed a career year that saw him play in 126 games and hit .264/.339/.444 with 16 home runs, 51 RBI, and 6 stolen bases. On September 5, 2023, Rengifo was named the American League Player of the Week after he batted went 11–for–25 (.440) with a 1.207 OPS, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI in the week. On September 7, Rengifo suffered a ruptured biceps tendon while in the on–deck circle during a game against the Cleveland Guardians. Two days later, he was placed on the injured list, and it was announced that he would miss the remainder of the season as a result of the injury.
Rengifo played in 78 games for Los Angeles in 2024, hitting .300/.347/.417 with six home runs, 30 RBI, and 24 stolen bases. On August 6, 2024, it was announced that Rengifo would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing wrist surgery.
Personal life
On September 16, 2021, it was reported that Rengifo had been charged by Venezuelan authorities with forging divorce documents and selling property without his ex-wife's consent. The incident allegedly happened in July 2019, with the documents being legalized in December 2020. Rengifo's father, sister and lawyer were arrested and detained that same day. An arrest warrant was issued for Rengifo, though it is unclear if extradition will be requested.