The Angels announced a number of moves before tonight’s game with the Astros. Los Angeles selected first baseman/corner outfielder Trey Cabbage, recalled infielder Michael Stefanic and reinstated Zach Neto and Matt Moore from the injured list.
In corresponding moves, the Halos placed Anthony Rendon, Jo Adell and Sam Bachman on the IL. All three placements are retroactive to July 11. The position players will be eligible to return a week from now, while Bachman is out until at least July 26. In a final transaction, infielder David Fletcher has already cleared waivers and was outrighted off the 40-man roster to clear a spot for Cabbage.
On the positive side, Cabbage gets his first MLB look. The left-handed hitter was a fourth round selection of the Twins out of a Tennessee high school back in 2015. He played in the Minnesota system through 2021, topping out at Double-A. After becoming a minor league free agent, he joined the Halos.
Cabbage has spent the entire season at Triple-A Salt Lake. He has demonstrated interesting physical tools, connecting on 23 home runs and stealing 24 bases in 84 games. Even in the Pacific Coast League, his .287/.358/.576 batting line is better than average. He and Adell share the league lead in homers, and he’s fifth among 68 PCL hitters (minimum 200 plate appearances) in slugging.
He’ll add a left-handed power bat to Phil Nevin’s bench. Cabbage has gone down on strikes at a lofty 31.3% clip in Triple-A and has posted elevated strikeout totals throughout his career. The swing-and-miss has kept him from reaching the majors before his 26th birthday, but the huge power production in the upper minors earns him a look.
Cabbage is the latest member of an Angels’ infield that has gone through numerous recent iterations. Injuries to Neto, Gio Urshela and Rendon led the club to acquire Mike Moustakas and Eduardo Escobar. Neto is back at shortstop tonight after a month-long absence because of an oblique strain. That pushes Andrew Velazquez to the bench, while Luis Rengifo draws in at third base.
Rendon is dealing with a left shin contusion after fouling a ball off his leg a week ago. He told reporters the injury hasn’t healed as hoped and declined to answer when asked if he was engaged in any baseball activities (via Sam Blum of the Athletic). Adell has a left oblique strain. Bachman has inflammation in his throwing shoulder; Nevin told reporters he’ll be shut down for a brief period but isn’t expected to require a long-term absence (relayed by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com).
Neto’s return squeezed Fletcher off the roster for the second time this season. The Halos also ran him through waivers in April. They re-selected his contract in late June but sent him back down after 11 games. Fletcher has gotten into 19 MLB contests on the season, hitting .213/.245/.298. He’s been far better in Salt Lake, putting up a .383/.431/.478 slash with more walks than strikeouts over 197 plate appearances.
Fletcher is making $6MM this season and under contract for the same amount through 2025. The $24MM extension he’d signed two years ago has given him ample financial security but ensured the Angels can send him through waivers without losing him. No other team is going to assume that money on a claim.
The latest demotion is timed so that the Halos can keep Fletcher in the organization as a non-roster player. He entered the season 61 days shy of the five-year MLB service threshold. He has picked up around 39 more days this year. Players with over five years of service time can decline a minor league assignment while retaining their entire contract; those with between three and five years would need to forfeit their guaranteed money to do so. Fletcher certainly isn’t going to pass on the money remaining on his deal, so the preemptive outright before he gets to five service years will keep him in Salt Lake.
What is going on with Fletcher?
What’s going on is that he sucks
He’s actually above most teammates RISP, runners on, and 2 outs. While he has limitations I question dismissing those abilities when there are key players killing their offense. Fletch will clear waivers again, but he’s not as terrible as he’s made out to be
The double play he blew in Ohtani’s start during the last home stand is probably his end as an Angel at the major league level. Cost the Angels and Ohtani a win! He is a descent ball player but not a starter on a championship Caliber team!
The next guy that needs to go is Rengifo! U just can’t depend on his defense and other than last year his hitting is not at the major league level.
He is not a shortstop. when he is forced to play there his offense go down.
Great news; Carrot Top will also be in the LA infield – Their new theme song will be “Garden Party” song by Rick Nelson.
There’s a rumor the Angels are going to sign Kyle Garlick. He needs more seasoning.
Lettuce hope not
What about rengifo, that can’t hit or field. He’s one of the reasons why the bullpen implodes with his mental mistakes.
He can’t hit. Hasn’t in years.
Rendon replaced by a Cabbage.
It’s been a really rough patch.
Head case…..
I’ve long suggested a cardboard cutout could easily replace Anthony Rendon’s “production”, but cabbage is good.
Don’t count him out yet. He’ll turnip.
And eventually Cabbage will be replaced by a Potato because “Why have cabbage when you can have potatoes?”
Interviewed Trey a couple of times and he couldn’t be a nicer guy. We texted and he made sure to meet up with me and my son prior to a Spring Training game this year.
I couldn’t be happier for him.
That said, I couldn’t feel worse for David, who I’ve also interviewed and met many times over the years. Between this and his dad passing away it has been a brutal year for Fletcher.
why fletch and why not rengifo ?
Because he doesn’t suck as bad as Fletcher
Actually he is far worse than Fletch…Rengifo should have been gone years ago for Joc.
Yeah, that negated deal would’ve been a steal
Rengifo isn’t better than Fletch. He might have more offensive potential but I’ll take Fletch on the field every day of the week over Rengifo. Rengifo has cost this team several games.
Watching the game and he came through with another error….. and another run given up. That is 7 errors in limited action and yet he is still on the roster over Fletcher. Just crazy.
No. It’s because Rengifo has a lower salary and might get claimed.
Rengifio is a non-tendered candidate this year and Fletcher should have never been extended.
Does it really matter if he gets claimed, it’s addition by subtraction.
Since he can play defense and does the little thing well, Fletcher is a nice utility infielder, unfortunately he’s being paid like a borderline all-star.
Rengifo 77
Fletcher 46
Rengifo 0.0 dWAR
Fletcher -0.1 dWAR
Rengifo is a better player this season. Fletcher used to play good defense, but he hasn’t been able to hit for years.
Anti-Italian discrimination
Fletch has a permanent job as Skipper of Team Italy waiting for him when he is done.
And if you don’t like Cabbage, you’re just a sour kraut.
I am of German descent and I find myself…….Iaughing, I also giggle at the word Wienerschnitzel
All kidding aside and going back to the Italian theme, if you haven’t had dago cabbage, you have been gastronomically deprived.
Trumbo, great to see you back. How was your hiatus?
Is it possible that Rendon has checked out mentally? I believe he has 3/$114 remaining on his contract after this season. If anyone was ever going to walk away from $114M, it’s Rendon. He has stated before that he doesn’t love baseball, he’s just playing because he happened to be good.
It feels like he consistently goes on the IL, and stays there, with injuries that other guys fight thru. If it was once or twice, or even three times, I wouldn’t make a big deal about it, but this has been going on for four years now.
It would be a godsend if he’d walk away but $100+ million dollars would be a record by far.
His contract has entered Pujolsian levels of suckage. Topped only, IMO, by the Josh Hamilton disaster.
When you consider that Arte blew half a billion between Rendon and Pujols on top of the Hamilton, Wells, Matthews Jr. debacles (another quarter billion) while refusing to invest in the farm it is really easy to see why the Angels have sucked the last decade.
He was handed a good team with a good farm system and a good front office. As his unqualified college buddies took over, the on field product got worse and worse.
I completely agree HHJJ. What surprises me is that the willingness to compete for his teammates or even professional pride is lost on Rendon. I’ve seen Little Leaguers with more athletic drive than “Tony 2 Bags”.
HalosHeaven
Bullseye!!!
Artie please sell team to Joe Lacob
I don’t know… He probably only has around 80-100 mil in the bank. He needs to make enough so his children’s, children’s, children’s, children don’t ever have to work a day in their lives. Probably needs another 75 mil just to be sure.
He’s not doing the Angels the favor of quitting.
I love how people can get in the heads of major league players and people take them seriously.
@Angels, he never said he doesn’t love baseball. He said he does not enjoy watching it when not playing. Those are two quite different things. I love golfing but I could never watch it. Are you grasping this concept?
It’s very common that players don’t watch baseball games after they leave the game.
Yep. Conversely I didn’t like playing baseball. Loved playing tennis. Love watching baseball. Rarely watch tennis.
Not sure why people keep repeating that BS. Rendon said he didn’t like watching baseball when he wasn’t playing. He never said he didn’t like playing.
Lettuce celebrate the debut of Cabbage.
@myself
No, that’s not quite right…hmm…
Lettuce celerybrate the debut of Cabbage.
There, that’s the ticket.
Celery lovers are stalkers….
Yeah…gotta be carrotful with them.
Arte never seems to learn from his mistakes. He somehow doesn’t notice that the more successful MLB teams draft, develop and then spread their money around, not blow it all on one Scott Boras, top-of-market player seemingly every off-season.
Man it is too bad they are both lefties, there goes my dream of one day seeing a platoon of cabbage and beer
Cabbage? Yuck!
No team wants to claim the 15 million plus salary owed to Fletcher since his bat has went nearly silent. Angels are stuck with him.
Dang. His real name is actually “Trey”?
That’s what I thought
Did you see his last name???
Fletcher had 7 RBis during his “call up”. During that same span Moustakas had 4. Velazquez 0. Rengifo 1.Escobar 2.
And what’s up with Ben Joyce?
Ben Joyce has had arm trouble before and his career was likely to be a short one. By short I don’t mean months, but I wouldn’t count on him to play more than a couple hundred games.
Fortunately we drafted his twin brother.
I joked it was so we have spare ligaments for when Ben gets hurt is my weekly recap today.
That is funny.
Fletcher had one good game in Colorado and cinderella turned back into a pumpkin
At least he wouldn’t get pulled from a game for dogging it like Minasian favorite Rengifo.
Fletcher’s error with Ohtani on the mound was 100% him dogging it.
Rengifo has absolutely stunk this year and he is still 26% better than Fletcher. That is not a small amount. Combine that with Fletcher playing horrid defense in 2023 and you can understand why Rengifo is still the utility guy while Fletcher is on his way to Salt Lake.
Who joins Cabbage and Bill Bean and Billy Beane on the all-time all-vegetable team?
Willie Maize?
Jake Pea-vy?
Carrot Coleslaw.
In addition to selecting CABBAGE,
the Angels will soon announce
the selection of…………………………………….
CORNEDBEEF !!
They are gonna need some Cabbage when Shohei pulls up the Brinks truck.
Ok big question is if they keep showtime and he walk at the end of the year u could’ve fill all these hole up so they should sit down and offer something to him and if don’t want then get some player for him it like let’s get something done I’m tired of the week aaa team we have
My cabbages!