The Angels have designated righty Michael Kohn and outfielder J.B. Shuck for assignment, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Los Angeles needed 40-man roster spots to accommodate its September call-ups.
Kohn, 28, has produced a 3.52 ERA in 76 2/3 MLB relief innings over the last two years. But his 9.2 K/9 over that stretch has been countered by 5.6 BB/9, and his control issues worsened this year both at the major league and minor league level. ERA estimators are not fans of his work, moreover, with his earned run numbers propped up by a low home run-to-flyball rate and a .192 BABIP-against.
Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Shuck is out of chances in Los Angeles just one season after receiving 478 plate appearances for the big club. He posted a .293/.331/.366 slash in last year’s audition, but has been much less productive over just 88 plate appearances in 2014. It would not be surprising to see some interest in Shuck from other clubs, however. The controllable outfielder has actually posted his best minor league numbers this year, slashing .320/.382/.446 in 465 plate appearances at Triple-A.
