ANAHEIM, Calif. — With Hunter Renfroe on the paternity list, the Los Angeles Angels called up outfielder Jo Adell from AAA Salt Lake to take his place in right field. Wasting no time making an impact at the big league level, Adell crushed the second pitch he saw on Thursday night, sending a 451-foot blast into the left field seats to give the Angels their first run of the game, which tied things at 1-1.

Adell, who leads the Pacific Coast League in home runs, finished his first MLB game of the season 1-3 with a walk and that second inning blast. Speaking with reporters after the game, Adell said, “It felt good. I stuck to an approach, got a pitch to handle, and I was able to do something with it. More importantly, I think us jumping out early in that situation kinda kept the momentum through the game, so that was a big positive.”
While Adell may not be up longer than Renfroe’s absence, the 24-year-old outfielder made an immediate impact in his first opportunity at the big league level this season. Having struggled to replicate any of his AAA production in the big leagues so far in his career, this was a big swing for Adell. According to Statcast, Adell’s homer on Thursday night, which exited the bat at 117.2 MPH, is the hardest hit ball any Angels player has had this season.

With the emergence of Mickey Moniak, along with the hope that Taylor Ward could be turning things around, there is not a clear pathway to big league at bats for Adell right now. That said, his continued dominance in AAA, along with this swing on Thursday night, is a reminder why the Angels have maintained optimism that he will eventually be an impact player for them.