2 Andrelton Simmons SS

Simmons is out of the lineup Sunday against the Athletics, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Manager Mike Scioscia will hold out two lineup mainstays in Simmons and Justin Upton in the season finale, affording Kaleb Cowart and Eric Young Jr. turns at shortstop and in left field, respectively. In addition to supplying his usual Gold Glove-caliber defense in the middle infield, Simmons made some strides as a contact hitter in 2018. He trimmed his strikeout rate to a career-best 7.3 percent, aiding him to a stellar .292 average over 146 games.

Simmons (knee) could return to the starting lineup as soon as Tuesday after his MRI came back clean, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Simmons suffered the injury Sunday while awkwardly landing on his right knee, and although he didn't manage to participate in any drills prior Monday's series opener, the Angels are optimistic he'll return within the next few days. With Los Angeles out of playoff contention, there's no need to rush the 29-year-old back.

Simmons (knee) is not in the lineup Monday against the Rangers.

Simmons will be withheld from the lineup Monday after exiting Sunday's series finale against the Astors with a right knee injury. The severity of the issue remains unclear at the moment. Kaleb Cowart is starting at shortstop and hitting eighth in his place Monday.

Simmons went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Athletics.

Simmons mashed a double in the fourth inning and then later kicked off the scoring in a six-run sixth with his two-RBI single. The 29-year-old has been on a roll since the end of August, hitting .342 (25-for-73) with 13 RBI over his last 18 games.

Simmons went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in a win over the White Sox on Friday.

Simmons took reliever Aaron Bummer deep in the seventh inning for his 11th home run of the year and his second in as many games. Simmons has now set a new career high with 70 RBI this season, which ranks him within the top 10 among MLB shortstops. The 29-year-old has also put up the best slash line of his career (.294/.340/.427) which is significantly better than his career averages of .269/.316/.382 across seven major-league seasons.