| Year | G | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | RBI | WAR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 154 | .271 | .351 | .443 | .793 | 17 | 73 | 3.0 | DET · full season |
| 2022 | 157 | .217 | .308 | .366 | .674 | 17 | 72 | 0.6 | WSH · full season |
| 2023 | 155 | .241 | .322 | .423 | .745 | 22 | 85 | 2.2 | WSH · career-high RBI |
| 2024 | 138 | .228 | .309 | .385 | .694 | 19 | 66 | 0.9 | CHC → CIN |
| 2025 | 91 | .214 | .301 | .357 | .658 | 9 | 37 | 0.2 | Injury shortened |
| 2026 ST | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NRI → OD roster |
Non-Roster Invite. Made the Team Anyway. The Switch-Hitter Who Showed Up at the Right Moment.
Jeimer Candelario came to Tempe on a non-roster invite — the organizational definition of no expectations, no pressure, and no guaranteed path to anything. He is a 31-year-old switch-hitting corner infielder who has spent the last several seasons being adequate and healthy in roughly equal measure. He was not the headline addition to this roster. He was the fill-in option while the front office figured out what Moncada was going to do.
Then he played. A game-tying home run. A walk-off sacrifice fly. Consistent at-bats against both left-handed and right-handed pitching, which matters because that switch-hitter designation solves a real problem for a lineup that trends heavily right-handed. The Angels looked at what they were watching and made a decision: Candelario is on the Opening Day roster. The NRI made the team.
The role here is clear: veteran bench piece, right-handed reliever insurance when the starter needs a day, spot starter at third or first when the schedule demands it. He is not going to be the guy who pushes this team into the playoffs. He is going to be the guy who gives Suzuki options that most Angels benches over the last decade haven't had. That is modest and real and worth having.
There is a version of this story where Candelario forces himself into semi-regular at-bats because Moncada's health continues to be unreliable and the roster construction requires a right-handed option at the corners. At that point, his 20-homer history and .745 career OPS peak become relevant. Right now, he is what the team needs him to be: available, capable, and there.