The Angels have signed infielder/outfielder Travis Blankenhorn to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The log says the deal was signed on March 6 but the deal only became apparent today when he appeared on the Angels’ lineup card, as relayed by Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
Blankenhorn, 28, has an inconsistent track record. Broadly speaking, he has performed well in the minors. That has led to several brief chances in the majors, which he hasn’t been able to capitalize on. He appeared in each of the past five big league seasons, but didn’t get even 40 plate appearances in any of those. Overall, he has hit .154/.230/.264 in 100 trips to the plate, scattered across those five seasons.
But he’s had a massive tally of 3,445 minor league plate appearances. In those, he has a .256/.333/.456 batting line and 114 wRC+. That includes 1,506 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level from 2021 to 2024. In that time, Blankenhorn has 74 home runs, a 10.3% walk rate, a .254/.343/.489 batting line and 113 wRC+.
As mentioned, those strong minor league numbers have led to many call-ups. Most recently, he was with the Nats for a while in 2024 but hit .129 in 13 games. He was outrighted off the roster and elected free agency in September. Defensively, Blankenhorn is mostly an outfielder/first baseman at this stage. He has some previous experience at the other infield positions but none since 2022.
The Halos have Nolan Schanuel at first with Taylor Ward and Mike Trout projected to be in the outfield corners and Jorge Soler the regular in the designated hitter slot. They also have Ryan Noda, Niko Kavadas, Matthew Lugo and Gustavo Campero on the 40-man roster. It’s a tough path to playing time for Blankenhorn but he can at least get into some games and showcase himself, to Angels’ decision makers as well as those on other clubs.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images
THE Travis Blankenhorn?
He might be the other one.
This guy is better than Kingery?
This is a minor league deal and does not require a 40 man roster spot.
@redstitch. Probably not, but maybe they know he is rejecting assignment. If lugo, and Paris are the next guys up with moore they don’t need kingery.
AAA needs players and he is one.
Blankenhorn’s 2021 season with the Twins: 0 plate appearances, 1 run, and 1 game losing error in 2/3 of an inning
He’s Moonlight Graham!
Except he wont have anyone telling him “you were good” while he walks into the corn
He’s played more big league games than that. He hasn’t been a difference maker at all, but it’s not like that was his only appearance. He has 2 homers and 14 hits. Certainly not all-star material, but more than I have
Kenny Blankenship better sadly.
Arte can’t be stopped!
Arte literally kept the team only to complain theres no money left.
There it is.
Blankenhorn’s not just depth; he’s a market inefficiency incarnate. A team with spare 40-man spots could turn this into a pipeline, buying low on dozens of Triple-A standouts annually and selling high when the market corrects. No one’s discussing how a $200K flyer could net a 50x return, because they’re stuck on his .154 big-league batting average. That’s where the genius hides.