Jeimer Candelario Has Played His Way Into A Potential Opening Day Roster Spot
March 18, 2026 - Written by Cade Lalim
Jeimer Candelario - Los Angeles Angels (3)* pic.twitter.com/75PlEBrKIF
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 18, 2026
The Los Angeles Angels signed infielder Jeimer Candelario to a minor league contract in early February, and has been a pleasant surprise so far this spring. Candelario has played in 10 major league seasons since debuting with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. He has a career slash line of .237/.315/.411 with 110 home runs and 384 runs batted in. Defensively he has only logged major league innings at first and third base.
Candelario has shown in the past to have pop in his bat. He’s hit 20 home runs twice in his career and is a doubles machine. He led the majors in doubles in the 2021 season with 42 while playing for the Detroit Tigers.
Currently, Adam Frazier looks to be the leading candidate for the Opening Day second baseman job. Candelario has been taking reps at second this spring which could improve his versatility and chances of him making the roster. Oswald Peraza has had a great spring with the bat, and is great defensively making him a likely roster lock.
This leaves an infield or utility bench spot open, which will likely come down to Vaughn Grissom, Jeimer Candelario, and Nick Madrigal.
2026 Spring Results
Candelario’s offensive numbers have been good to see, after coming off a down year in 2025 with the Cincinnati Reds. Note that he was dealing with a lumbar spine strain that landed him on the injured list for just over a month.
As of Tuesday, March 17, Candelario has appeared in 16 games while totaling 45 plate appearances. He’s posted a nice slash line of .250/.333/.625 with three home runs and four doubles. He’s walked four times which is an average 8.9% rate, but has struck out 14 times, which is subpar.
When looking at his metrics, Candelario’s batted ball profile has looked really good. He’s had an average exit velocity of 93.1 mph, which ranks in the 83rd percentile. His highest exit velocity this spring has been 112.3 mph, and he’s barreled-up baseballs at an insane 26.9% clip ranking in the top 1%. Basically he’s just been making good contact all spring. His hard-hit percentage is also above average at a 50% clip.
Will He Make The Team?
With the Angels in their final week of spring training games in Arizona, it’s the final shot for fringe players like Candelario to make a final push for the Opening Day roster.
Vaughn Grissom’s hand injury will likely factor into whether Candelario makes the roster or not. Jeff Fletcher posted on X Wednesday morning about Grissom’s injury status: “He still doesn’t know if he’ll start on the IL, but he hasn’t played a game since he was hurt”. Grissom is already on the 40-man roster which makes him an easier choice if he’s healthy.
The Angels currently have a full 40-man roster, so someone would have to be removed from the roster in order to add Candelario.
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