12:04PM: Walsh and infielder Michael Stefanic have been optioned to Triple-A to make room for Fletcher and Escobar, Sam Blum reports (Twitter link).
10:13AM: Back in April, the Angels optioned David Fletcher to Triple-A and then outrighted him off the 40-man roster. After two months in the minors, Fletcher is heading back to the Show, as FanSided’s Robert Murray (via Twitter) reports that the Angels are calling Fletcher back up to the active roster. The corresponding move isn’t yet known, but it marks something of a mini-overhaul of the Angels’ infield, between Fletcher’s return and yesterday’s acquisition of Eduardo Escobar from the Mets.
Fletcher had only two hits in his first 16 plate appearances of the 2023 season, leading the Halos to finally make a tough decision on a player who looked like a building block just a couple of years ago. Anaheim signed Fletcher to a five-year, $26MM contract extension in April 2021, and unfortunately, the infielder’s productivity has since tailed off. Fletcher hit .260/.295/.327 over 893 PA in 2021-22, with a hip injury costing him a big chunk of the 2022 campaign.
However, it looks like Fletcher might have found something at Triple-A Salt Lake, as he is hitting .378/.432/.478 over 197 PA. Fletcher does have a huge .407 BABIP, and numbers from the Pacific Coast League should be taken with a grain of salt in general given the league’s hitter-friendly nature, but it’s hard to argue that Fletcher hasn’t been doing all he can to earn another shot on the Angels’ roster.
In an interview yesterday with The Athletic’s Sam Blum (prior to the news of Fletcher’s call-up), Fletcher said he wasn’t sure why the Angels hadn’t already called up back up to the big leagues. There also seemed to be something of a lack of communication between Fletcher and the front office, as the infielder said “I haven’t heard much from them” since the Triple-A demotion, and that the team was somewhat vague on what it exactly wanted Fletcher to work on hitting-wise.
Anthony Rendon and Zach Neto are both on the Angels’ 10-day injured list, while Gio Urshela’s season may be over due to a pelvic fracture. These injuries have left Anaheim very thin in the infield, and while there may have been some question over why Fletcher hadn’t already been called up, the time is now for the Halos to again turn to the 29-year-old.
It remains to be seen how this new-look Angels infield will shake out, considering that both Fletcher and Escobar are multi-position players, and because some 40-man roster moves will have to be made to accommodate Fletcher’s return. Escobar will likely rotate between second and third base, while Fletcher could play either shortstop or second base. Brandon Drury has played the bulk of time at second base this season, but he has also seen a lot of time at first base, which could be a more viable option since Jared Walsh has struggled since returning from the injured list.
Hoping the best for him and the Angels.
U have to get the cancers off your roster! Loop and Valaszuez need to be designated for assignment like yesterday! It was a celebration the few times Loop pitched an inning without giving up a run and if it was late in the game he gave it up every time! He has gotten to the point where he doesn’t have the stuff to get major league hitters out any longer! Valaszuez would make errors on routine plays that ended up costing us the games!
Couldn’t agree more on loup. The guys the worst. I don’t know how he still has a job.
Not only that but Velasquez just can’t hit. If you’re a banjo hitter you have to at least be excellent in the field. He’s doing neither.
This team needs a boost. Neto going down was way more than losing a SS. Hopefully Fletch and Escobar can get that boost back.
Speaking of boost, Rendon can boost his ass out of SoCal.
Welcome back to The Show.
About time, who’s going down Velazquez, and stefanic.
He’ll be DFA when Escobar arrives later tonight
The Return of the King
Good to have David Fletcher back in the bigs.
About damn time. Now DFA Velasquez.
The front office had to move quickly with whats happened the past couple of weeks. Hopefully David can bring some stability back.
Should’ve happen months ago, hopefully they were wanting to get him at bats, and seeing what they have. Perry found out it was a bunch of bums
> “I haven’t heard much from them”
> since the Triple-A demotion.
“I think it’s pretty self-explanatory with where you’re at,” Minasian said.
16 at bats and suddenly he’s not good anymore?
It’s the Angels loss here as much as it is his.
Seems like a really stupid move to me
When he’s cut after only 16 AB and isn’t told what to work on in the minors you have to wonder whether there were other issues.
I think Fletch must have gotten drunk at a team party and insulted Moreno’s wife.
Occam’s razor.
Rumor has it that he shagged Rendon’s and Trout’s sister.
Source: (Complete BS)
Ok, Mule, I’ll take the bait. What does Occam’s Razor suggest about Fletcher?
Occams razor is a principal of science that poses the simple solution is the likely answer.
It suggests I was making a joke about mlb fan’s tongue in cheek explanation.
Exactly what I was saying, and Neto was 1-15 when he was promoted. Fletcher barely played so maybe his rhythm was off but he can play defense, and small ball. At this point he’s the bpa, and has been.
Don’t forget people, no team claimed him. He wasn’t playing well
No team would claim Escobar or Rendon either. That has more to do with salary than anything else.
Escobar would be claimed in a heartbeat thou. Mets are paying the bill on him, all but league min.
He had options, and was sent down
If the Mets put him on waivers, no one would have claimed him. Seriously? No one would have paid his salary, and the only reason the Mets are paying his salary now is to get Crow.
And Fletcher was taken off the 40 man roster. The Angels made him available to anyone would have paid his salary.
Pretty much the same thing.
Rec….
Fletcher was taken off the 40 man roster. Anyone who wanted him could have claimed him.
Pretty much the same thing.
welcome back Fletch!!
About time! Hope he can lock up 2B.
How about Fletch? You know, that gritty kid from the streets of Harlem really creates excitement. 6 million dollars a year, yeah that’s true, but he earns every nickel of it. Look how he shakes off 4 or 5 defenders with ease. Hmm, Fletch, he truly defines grace under pressure.
Sent down over 16 at bats????
He’s produced 10 WAR as a big leaguer.
Seems ridiculous to me.
You could say the same about any player who previously had good seasons. His bat has been a complete wet noodle for 2+ seasons. It might’ve been the best thing for him to go down to AAA.
His stats look a lot like Paul DeJongs really. Who btw is having a bounce back season and like Fletcher provides defensive value even when he isn’t hitting.
DeJong was hot for about a week and a half. He fell off a cliff after that.
Is Perry actually … listening to the fans this season?
I swear I just saw Perry double check his AirPod Pros’ noise canceling was turned on when he read this…
Fletcher is that old school type player, who has intangibles, that sabermetrics could never measure. Sometimes you can’t just look at a stat sheet and know how much a player can help the team win
The biggest intangible he brings is that teammates don’t like him. The Angels lost when he played regularly. They have been winning without him.
It wasn’t that long ago I wished the Angels would have gone a different direction and not sent Fletcher down. I was lambasted.
The Angels need Neto and Rendon back. They need to stop giving ABs to Rengifo. Fletcher and Neto up the middle should be solid.
Well you shouldn’t of been lambasted as u say, but it was the right move sending Fletcher down to get right. There is not even a debate about that. As I have below, the only question is, one might say he should of been called back right when Neto went down.
I like me some Fletch to, but let’s hope he’s back to being Fletch, because Neto and Especially Rendon, will be back soon. He better hit the ground running good.
He only had 16 ABs.
He does a lot of little things very well. Rengifo does almost nothing very well. But this year Rengifo is walking and playing adequate defense. That’s a change.
For a utility player, I like Fletcher’s game better than a few of the players on this team.
He better start hitting XBH, because a singles hitter is not going to stick in the majors. Fletch is a below league average hitter. At best, a utility middle infielder, but if he cannot at least provide some pop, he will be packing his bags again because Escobar can also play multiple positions and he does have pop in his bat.
He’s a below average hitter. So are most Utility players. The contract was a joke but if used correctly he can be a valuable player. He’s a better player than Rengifo, who is also a utility player.
Escobar has been an above average hitter. Note my post
They were right to lambast you. Fletcher stunk and was not willing to take instruction. He belonged in the minors and the fact that no team even reached out to make an offer to the Angels when he was DFA’d showed that no other team considered him a major league player either.
When Neto and Rendon return, Fletcher is on his way back to the DFA list. Escobar can play multiple positions and he has serious pop in his bat. Even in a bad season he is better than Fletcher in a good season with the bat. So, Escobar is the bench bat once the starters are healthy.
It should be Rengifo. Fletcher is a much better player. At this rate, Rengifo should be non-tendered next year.
I don’t know how I’ve been proved wrong.
As bad as Rengifo has been, he has more flexibility and was better than Fletcher. Also, he is a team player. People actually like him. No one other than you and maybe his mom like Fletcher.
He doesn’t know what to work on? How about working on hitting and producing.
The Dbacks have had great success sending slumping hitters down to AAA this year and bringing them back when they make mechanical adjustments and get their confidence back up.
But their success has been fueled by a different approach from the way the Angels have handled Fletcher. First difference is they wait longer than 16 At Bats. Second difference is that they tell the player precisely what they want him to work on/correct before they bring him back. Third difference is that the organization considers the players in AAA Reno to be part of the roster.
It helps that the Dbacks have so much depth that there is an entire roster of Major League ready players at AAA. 18 players are or have hit over .300 on Reno’s roster (including David Fletcher’s little brother, Dominic Fletcher)!
Specifically, Dominic Fletcher, Emmanuel Rivera and Pavin Smith were Not on the opening day roster, but hit over .300 when they came up as replacements. Meanwhile, Alex Thomas, Jake McCarthy and now Josh Rojas were sent down to AAA with specific mechanics to correct. All 3 batted over .300 at AAA. Thomas and McCarthy have been recalled and are playing at All Star levels. Rojas hasn’t been recalled yet, but he is definitely considered part of this year’s team.
Totally agree that sending Fletcher down was the right move. The only thing one could question was, maybe he should of been called up right when Neto went down. That’s it!
It wasn’t about the bad 16 AB start, it was about spring, and the 2+ years of terrible hitting. I wish Fletch we’ll, hopefully the well needed trip down to AAA got him back on track. Fletch Lives!
BTW, “they didn’t tell him what he needed to work on”? Try hitting the ball, let alone with any kind of authority. Lol
Fletch wasn’t healthy last year. Didn’t He play most of a month where he couldn’t even swing a bat.
Anyway, he’s a utility player who does utility things. If you utilize him correctly, he’s a useful player in a variety of situations.
Halo11Fan – No one takes into account Fletcher’s injuries. He can not only play most positions, but can play them well. His career numbers with men in scoring position are very good. All good traits for someone coming off the bench.
Fletcher was on bereavement leave when Neto was placed on the IL.
Fletch lives.
I’m thinking Escobar 3B, Velasquez SS, Fletch 2B, Drury 1B and Rengifo Utility. Renfroe and Thaiss may get some looks at 1B, as well.
Stay hot and stay healthy, Fletch.
1B Drury, 2B Rengifo, SS Fletcher, 3B Escobar should be another regular infield variation.
(Can’t wait for Neto and Rendon to return.)
Other than getting Neto and Rendon back, there is only so much they can do. Six of one, one half dozen of the other. But I’d go with Squid at short and Fletcher at second and hope squid starts catching the baseball.
They aren’t wasting Renfroe’s cannon arm at First Base
@Rsox I agree – Renfroe won’t be playing 1B. That will mostly be Drury and maybe Thaiss on occasion. And they still have Jake Lamb in the minors if they really need an alternative.
That alternative will be Walsh after about 2 weeks as long as he gets his timing at the plate right.
Escobar can play 1B and Taylor Ward has (very little) experience there so those are a couple of other options
With the Moustakas acquisition, I’m thinking Drury and Moose will share 1B and “The Cannon” will move back to RF after a weekend on the dirt.
I would have sent down Velazquez (or Padlo) instead of Stefanic.
Padlo. Velasquez is hitting right now and he plays good defense.
Well finally. But the timing is interesting as a story was breaking about Fletcher and then they call him up. It seems at times Minasian can be knee jerk reactionary to criticism. Other times he’s defiant and speaks in hypotheticals or deflections. Plays favorites. Usually 16 games would elicit a “the sample size isn’t there” or a “I’m not worried.”
Walsh has really settled down the infield defense. Prior to his return we led the league in unearned runs allowed, usually due to throws getting past Drury.
Rengifo offers neither a glove or a bat. Same with Padlo.
I’d have kept the run prevention on the roster.
He had a wRC+ of 69 and then 75, I think the angles wanted him to work on hitting…all of it.
He still can’t hit the ball out of the infield. Lol
He needs to work on his angles then, problem solved.
Going to take more than optioning them. They have to clear two 40 man roster spots.
Any 60 Day candidates?
Urshela.
Great news for the Angels. David Fletcher belongs in the show. Hope he can ditch the Angels who have been toxic to so many players.
Walsh and Zunino’s pronounced struggles offensively do not offer much in the way of encouragement for hitters coming back from TOS
Fletcher suffered serious injuries– including having hip surgery. It took time to get back to normal. He should stick at short until Neto gets back, Escobar at third and Drury at first. When Neto comes back Fletcher to second and Drury stays at first. They need to trade for a first baseman and move Drury back to second and let Fletcher be a super-sub. You cannot compete with Velasquez and Walsh in the lineup.
When Neto comes back, Fletcher will be hitting 75-80 OPS+ again and will be DFA’d again.
Walsh hit .440 in Salt Lake in his 7-game rehab assignment this season. Before the migraines he showed he can hit at the major league level. He will be back as soon as he gets his timing down.
Its not a coincidence that throwing errors increase by 30% when Drury is at 1B.
Escobar will stick on the team but will be a utility player once Rendon returns.
Fletcher, Da SS-2B
3 0 0 1 1 0 .200 BA .550 OPS
Not looking so good. A single game in Coors is a nice bandaid for a batting line, but it won’t cover the wound that Fletcher causes in the Angels lineup.
Ohtani 28 HR. on pace for 56 HR and a 3 ERA. What the man does on a baseball diamond is insane. Not quite sure he is human.
Unless I am missing something, the Angel still need to clear two spots on the 40-man roster. Who was put on 60-day IL or who was DFA’d?
Whatever he hits has to be better than Velazquez. They somehow have to get more contact hitters in that lineup. And when Neto comes back, move Fletcher to 2B and Drury to 1B.
Your comment sunk and imploded like the submersible you named yourself after.
Velasquez this season so far – .263/.440/.316/.756 slashline. 115 OPS+ Its only 7 games, so it’s a tiny sample size. It’s also very good considering the defense he plays.
In an 8-game sample size Fletcher had a .125/.125/.125/.250 slashline and -30 OPS+ to start the season.
So your opinion is both Rengifo and Squid are better than Fetcher
You’re entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. Rengifo will run into a pitch once or twice times a month, but when he’s not running into a pitch, Fletcher can beat you in ten other ways and Rengifo can lose a game ten different ways
Velasquez has been better with the bat this season than Fletcher was to start the season. It’s not a debate. It’s the stats. You can disagree with the stats all you want. You will still be wrong.
I never mentioned Rengifo, so why did you? Did he sleep with your mom?
About damn time need a real TM not some guy that was a bat boy get rid of him
About damn time need a real gm not some guy that was a bat boy get rid of him
And they option stefanic. He seemed like a improvement over squid
If you wonder why he is not well liked, its comments like this.
“I haven’t heard much from them” since the Triple-A demotion, and that the team was somewhat vague on what it exactly wanted Fletcher to work on hitting-wise.
The Angels sent Tony Jaramillo to Salt Lake for 3 weeks specifically to work with Fletcher and Walsh. He stayed there for a week after Walsh was called up. Typically, a hitting coordinator would not spend more than a few days in any one place. Fletcher took off in the weeks after he got all that extra work in with Jaramillo and then Fletcher says BS like that.
What’s your point? That Jaramillo helped him and Fletcher doesn’t believe he did.
Or are you just going by that BS column by Sam Blum who asked an absurd question looking for an angle.
My point is that Fletcher is lying. It is part of the reason no one likes him. Especially not his teammates.
I am going by the fact that Jaramillo is a friend of mine and Fletcher is talking out his behind. If Fletcher hadn’t gotten more direct help than any other player in the Angels system this season, he would still be hitting .256 like he was when Jaramillo arrived in Salt Lake City in mid-May.
The Angels were ready to release him, but since they were already sending someone to work with Walsh, they spent the time to totally rework his swing and approach at the plate. The only reason he actually buckled down was the fact that the Angels were going to release his sorry behind.
According to Sam Blum who asked a hack of a question?
But I now understand your disdain for Fletcher, and I respect that, but I don’t believe anything I read, especially from Sam Blum.
The Angels were never ready to release Fletcher. He was a sunk cost and not taking up a spot on the 40 roster. It’s crazy to think they were going to release him.
Fletcher was hitting a solid .65 wRC+ in Salt Lake in mid-May and had refused to change how he did things.
The Angels sent Jaramillo to Salt Lake of telling Fletcher he either needed to get with the program and do things the way THEY wanted or he would be released.
Sam Blum is one of the most respected writers in baseball. You are not.
Nice dig at the end, was that necessary? Blum is always looking for an angle and will create one when one is not there. If you read him, you must know that.
Who asks the question about the Angels having your back? Someone who is looking to create a story, not someone who is interested in what Fletcher had to say.
That’s Sam Blum. But again, if you like reading him, that’s ok by me.
It wasn’t a dig. It was the truth. People not only respect Blum’s writing, they PAY to read it. You are not a baseball writer at all, let alone a respected one. You always try to make some insult against those that are in a position to know better than you do. That includes Sam Blum. It says a lot about you as a person.
Nice, coming back to The Bigs at Coors Field!!
I’m a big fan of Fletch’s, but sending him down was the right move. Yeah, he doesn’t walk much but he puts the ball in play; a lost art it seems, that nobody appreciates anymore. He will HIT above league average, I predict. Just keep him at second, if possible. He’s much more of a liability at short.
I don’t think it was the right move. Fletcher was/is the best utility infielder on this team
Halo,
As usual, no one that matters agrees with you. Fletcher was terrible the last 2 seasons and when he started out even worse this season, the smart thing to do was send him down. That he was playing so poorly in the minors a month plus later because he refused to make any changes in his approach at the plate is why they considering cutting ties with him.
He pulled his head out, completely reworked his swing, and was hitting 25% better than league average in the minors when called back up. Major league players are SUPPOSED to dominate in AAA, so him being just 25% above average is no big deal. It’s nice, but not great.
After last night the Angels are no longer at Coors, so the altitude and huge field won’t help him anymore. If he is hitting .220 at the ASB I would be amazed. A bad attitude combined with a total lack of power doesn’t point to him being in the majors long. For real Angels fan’s sake I am hoping I am wrong. They can use a solid bat at SS until Neto returns. Neto is scheduled to begin baseball activities today, maybe a week of getting back in playing shape, and then will need a short rehab stint, so Fletcher better hit the cover off the ball between now and July 8th if he wants to keep his job.
How about flaherty and dejong for Walsh and a low level prospect