Angels slugger Yoan Moncada misses game to take US citizenship test

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The Los Angeles Angels were without one of their better sluggers on Tuesday night, but he had a pretty good reason for the excused absence.

Yoan Moncada was on MLB's restricted list on Tuesday, as he was taking his U.S. Citizenship test.

The 30-year-old Moncada is from Cuba and signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent for a signing bonus of over $31 million.

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Yoan Moncada, #10 of Team Cuba, hits a solo homerun in the bottom of the 2nd inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool A game between Chinese Taipei and Cuba at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium on March 12, 2023, in Taichung, Taiwan.  (Kenny Hsu - CaptureAt/Getty Images)

Moncada, aged 19 at the time, promptly became one of the top prospects in all baseball as a switch-hitter. He made his MLB debut roughly a year and a half after signing, at the age of 21.

The Sox made a stunning move, though, after the 2016 seaso when they traded Moncada, Michael Kopech, and two others to the Chicago White Sox for Chris Sale, who just wrapped up his season and was a perennial Cy Young Award candidate.

Moncada has never quite lived up to the hype, even striking out an MLB-high 217 times in 2018. He did hit .315 with a .915 OPS in 2019, and his 5.1 WAR that season was also a career-best. He posted a 4.1 two years later.

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada (5) swings at a pitch during the MLB game between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels on May 28, 2025, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)\)

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