Angels vs. White Sox Monday MLB injury report, odds, pick: Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon on bench for Los Angeles

The struggling Chicago White Sox look to salvage a split of their four-game home series with the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels on Monday afternoon and catch a break in that Halos manager Joe Maddon has both Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon on the bench in the getaway game. The Sox are -130 favorites at Caesars Sportsbook behind Dylan Cease. Click here for model picks. 

Really no surprise that Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP, is not in the lineup as he left Sunday's game early with a groin injury. Ohtani said then that he still expected to play Monday. He has not gotten going at the plate yet, batting just .228 with four homers and 12 RBIs. He had two hits, including a homer, in the opener in Chicago on Friday but was a combined 0-for-7 the past two games. Rendon is presumably just getting a maintenance day off and is also struggling at .225 with two homers and nine RBIs.

Mike Trout is playing designated hitter in place of Ohtani and Jack Mayfield is at third base. Catcher Max Stassi and shortstop David Fletcher are also sitting today.

It's lefty Patrick Sandoval on the mound and he has been the ace thus far at 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA – not a single earned run allowed in 15 innings with 20 strikeouts. He is the first starter in Angels history (excluding openers) to post a 0.00 ERA through his first three starts. The previous low for an Angels pitcher over his first three starts of a year was 0.44 by Kirk McCaskill in 1989.

Chicago will be without outfielder Andrew Vaughn for a third straight game in the starting lineup due to a hand contusion, but he did pinch-hit over the weekend. Vaughn is batting .283 with four homers and 12 RBIs. Otherwise, the Sox have every healthy regular in the lineup. AJ Pollock is 1-for-5 with a homer career off Sandoval.

Cease (2-1, 3.27) comes off a no-decision vs. Kansas City, allowing two runs over six with nine strikeouts. Cease is 9-3 with a 3.11 ERA, 153 strikeouts (11.32 per 9.0 IP) and a .202 opponents' average over 23 starts at home since 2020. He is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in three career starts vs. the Angels. Trout has a single in three at-bats off him.

MLB free pick: White Sox -130

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