Who loves America more than playing for the Angels? Yoan Moncada, who skipped a game to take his U.S. citizenship test.
For LA Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada, Aug. 5 was a day to remember in more ways than one … coming one step closer to obtaining his legal citizenship and not having to play for the Angels.
Moncada, 30, was counted as a late scratch on Tuesday, which multiple Angels beat reporters shared had to do with him taking his United States citizenship test, set for Wednesday in Miami. Moncada is expected to return to the Halos on Thursday.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Yoán Moncada of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates in the dugout during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Sunday, August 3, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Moncada was born in Cuba and left the poverty-stricken, Communist state in 2014. He then agreed to a contract with the Boston Red Sox worth $63 million in 2015.
In 2016, Boston traded Moncada (a highly regarded prospect at the time) to Chicago.
LA dropped its first 2-of-3 games against Chicago — failing to inspire much confidence after a disappointing trade deadline.
The Angels are coming off a weekend in which they were swept by Moncada’s old team, the White Sox, which should have been more than favorable matchup for LA.
Moncada’s name floated around trade talks as the MLB deadline approached last week, and the Angels stood pat on not improving their lineup by making no impactful moves. This lack of movement has meant bouts of bad offense, which has yielded a 55-58 record, fourth in the AL West.
Moncada’s still working on his swing (batting .221), but the good news for him is that he can stay in the country legally, provided he has studied. Best of luck, Yoan.
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