The Angels announced nearly a dozen roster moves as they prepare their Opening Day lineup. The team confirmed the signing of lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi to a one-year free agent deal. They also selected veteran infielders Adam Frazier and Jeimer Candelario onto the big league roster.
Vaughn Grissom lands on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left wrist. Pitchers Ben Joyce (shoulder inflammation), Alek Manoah (middle finger contusion), Kirby Yates (left knee inflammation), and Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder inflammation) all land on the 15-day injured list. Those five placements are retroactive to March 22.
The Angels needed to open three spots on the 40-man roster for Lucchesi, Frazier and Candelario. Two of those are procedural moves, as Anthony Rendon and Robert Stephenson have been placed on the 60-day injured list. The one roster casualty of the whole series of transactions is left-handed reliever Jayvien Sandridge, who was designated for assignment.
Most of these transactions had either been announced or strongly telegraphed by prior moves. Frazier and Candelario were each expected to break camp after offseason minor league contracts. The former is ticketed for the majority of the playing time at second base. Frazier’s left-handed bat and plus contact skills make him a rarity in a heavily right-handed lineup. He hit .281 with a .452 on-base percentage this spring but has been a below-average hitter in four consecutive seasons. Frazier ran a .267/.319/.365 slash in 459 plate appearances between the Pirates and Royals a year ago.
Candelario, 32, returns to the majors after finishing last season in Triple-A in the Yankees system. The switch-hitter turned in a meager .207/.265/.394 line while battling various injuries over a season and a half with the Reds. He popped four homers this spring but struck out 17 times in 56 plate appearances.
Primarily a corner infielder, Candelario has also gotten acclimated to second base in camp. He’ll work as a backup infielder alongside the out-of-options Oswald Peraza behind Frazier and third baseman Yoán Moncada. The Angels will only pay him the $780K league minimum while he’s on the roster. The Reds are still covering the rest of his $13MM salary after releasing him last June.
Of the injured list assignments, only the Yates move comes as a surprise. The 39-year-old righty signed a $5MM free agent deal over the winter. That was the biggest investment the Halos made in a quiet offseason. Yates was one of a handful of reclamation fliers who’ll slot into the bullpen. He had been expected to share closing work with Jordan Romano and Drew Pomeranz. That’ll be on hold for at least the first 12 days of the regular season. Yates pitched four times this spring, allowing one earned run over four innings.
Joyce is still building back from last May’s shoulder procedure. He’s throwing but didn’t get into any games this spring. He’s not ready for MLB game action but should be back relatively early in the year. It’s an encouraging sign for his health that the Angels opted to designate someone for assignment rather than place Joyce on the 60-day IL.
Grissom is out of minor league options. His injury buys the Halos a little bit of time to determine whether they want to keep him on the roster or designate him for assignment. Rodriguez and Manoah entered camp as the projected fourth and fifth starters. Their continued injury issues will draw Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson into the final two rotation spots instead.
Sandridge came over from the Yankees in a cash trade in January. The 27-year-old southpaw pitched twice before being optioned early in camp. He allowed five runs over two innings. Sandridge gave up two runs while recording two outs in his lone major league appearance, which came as a Yankee last July. In Triple-A, he posted a 4.55 ERA with huge strikeout stuff (33.1%) but too many walks (12%). The Angels have five days to trade him or try to run him through waivers.
Sooooo Walbert or no Walbert that’s what I came here to find out
Walbert was already announced to have made the team. The Lucchesi signing now makes sense with Yates going on the IL
Rearranging deck chairs on the titanic
……..after the sinking
And just like the captain Rendon abandoned ship.
This rearrangement project has been going on for three seasons. They will finally sink this year.
Did you mean 12 seasons?
We won the first game so at least we won’t lose them all. Soriano was great on the road as per usual. Would be nice to see him do they same thing at home.
Aroboy Candy welcome to Anaheim sweetttt
How did Grayson R’s “dead arm” become “shoulder inflammation.” Has the diagnosis gotten worse?
Layman’s term versus doctor’s diagnosis i suppose.
I’d rather it be a shoulder problem than an elbow.
Not surprised the diagnosis changed, it often does. Just pray it doesn’t get altered further.
No you don’t. Elbows can be fixed ask tommy john. Shoulder issues can be career enders ask Brandon webb who was a possible future Hof. Elbow problems usually follow when the shoulder isn’t the same. There’s a reason Grayson was traded to the Angels.
I wouldn’t. Elbows can be cleaned out, repaired. Shoulder issues rarely get better.
Rendon what a bum.
I think the Manoah’s owie can be considered a repetitive stress injury.
Im surprised he doesn’t have whiplash from all the hits whizzing past him. 5 Hr in 15 IP and an ERA north of 9 in the spring is not good
What in the world are the Angels doing playing Adam Frazier at 2B? At this point in his career — he’s 34, has played ten seasons with five different clubs (PIT twice) and produced 11.4 fWAR, most of it before he turned 30 — he can fairly be called a journeyman. There might be teams which would find that useful (the Mets might prefer him to Vidal Brujan). But all he is doing is taking playing time away from Grissom, or Moore or even Peraza, guys who might someday have value for the Angels (and if they don’t, now is the time to find out). Sure it’s conceivable that if you give Frazier 450 2026 PAs he’d outproduce any of those guys. But maybe one win? For a team that’s likely to lose +/- 90 games? There’s no semblance of a plan.
What I have been saying for months. This is a 110 loss team
FWIW, the Nats will be worse.
What a stupid lie. We will never lose 100 games. Get out of here with that
No! This team is better than Ron Washington’s 99 loss team in 2024.
Keeping 2b warm until Moore returns from AAA.
Moore isn’t reast. To mang errors at 2nd base
Youre repsong in too mang places at once. Slow down, man.
They’re playing Frazier because he’s their best option. What has Peraza done? Moore isn’t ready. Grissom is on the IL. Who else do they have? Paris hit .150 in the minors and struck out at a 50% rate in the bigs. This is the garbage they have to play with. Frazier’s numbers last season would have made him the highest average on the team.
Ryan Johnson might need more time to develop just sayin.
No way
He was ready last year when he made the team. Washington didnt know what he was doing with him. Pitched great all year after that and this spring.
RonTingley, are you related to Don Mossi? He was a friend of mine.
Might? This franchise destroys these talented kids. Put him in the middle of the storm a year before he’s ready so he can doubt himself. The Angels are black hole when it comes to development.
The Halos didn’t really think they would flip an outfielder for a good, healthy starting pitcher, did they?
You don’t understand priorities in the Moreno-verse. Maybe it is unlikely that the cost controlled G-Rod ($750K in 2026) will get/stay healthy…but there is 100% guarantee that the Angels will save over $11M in payroll in 2026 alone…and it removes any pressure to extend Ward moving forward.
Minus the fact you traded away 37 home runs from a horrible offense and did nothing to replace them
They traded for Lowe to replace him
G-Rod can pitch zero innings and it’s still a good trade.
Angels were going nowhere with Ward. Save $14M and get an opportunity with a former #1 prospect.
This is the EXACT move rebuilding teams should be making.
Uh–no. They could’ve traded Ward and even a pitcher to the Orioles for one of their numerous stud prospects–not a guy who is perpetually hurt. A guy they didn’t even have their doctors inspect. That wasn’t the only destination they could have sent Ward. He has value–right? We never get value.
carllafong: “We never get value.”
In the Moreno-verse, adding value is bad. It would cost him more in payroll. Since he believes fans don’t prioritize winning…it would just be a waste of money.
johnnyangel: “This is the EXACT move rebuilding teams should be making.”
No it isn’t. Teams that haven’t had a winning season in a decade and averaged 90 losses over the last five year….rebuild. You trade away anything that moves for prospects. You invest in scouting, the farm system and coaching (not one-year-contracts). You draft high ceiling prospects instead of wasting draft capital on mid-ceiling “MLB ready” college guys. But, in the Moren0-verse, rebuilding isn’t an option. It would make the annual false hope gaslighting narrative harder to sell…and it would eventually build a winner that would cost Moreno more money.
I don’t think you’re saying anything that contradicts my point.
I agree with literally everything you wrote.
But I’m adding that you trade a soon-to-be free agent for a high upside arm. It’s a smart move.
I’m not sure why you disagree with that?
The trade was 2 years, at the least, 1 year too late. Anyway, expecting a decent prospect might be too much from Perry.
johnnyangel: “I’m not sure why you disagree with that?”
Ok, I do agree that even if Ward was the 2026 MVP it still wouldn’t have been enough to push the Angels into contention. So, trading him to build the team’s future made sense.
But when you see G-rod injury history you can see why the Orioles gave up on him:
June 2022: Lat muscle strain
April 2024: Shoulder inflammation
Aug. 2024: Teres major muscle strain
Feb. 2025: Elbow/triceps inflammation
April 2025: Lat muscle strain
July 2025: Elbow discomfort
I’ve have also heard that the Angels didn’t even give him a physical. If that’s true, that is just really stupid…unless they didn’t care because all they required from the deal was a $11M salary dump.
So we just disagree about whether or not G-Rod has value.
I think he does have value and was worth the risk. I mean, pitchers come back successfully from injury all the time.
Nathan Eovaldi, with a very similar pedigree to G-Rod, was a hot mess early in his career, shortening 2016 and missing all of 2017, and has almost 1,000 K’s since.
Jacob deGrom made 35 starts over 4 years, and came back at age 37 to make 30 starts.
The list goes on.
That being said, I can see your hesitancy with G-Rod, and don’t blame anyone who does.
I just think sometimes you have to take some risk, and G-Rod, a former #1 pitching prospect in all of baseball, is worth it to me.
So, MLB Trade Rumors still hates Grissom that much with the childish passive aggressive remarks as usually displayed by adolescent teenage boys. The Angels didn’t trade for him that quickly in the winter meetings just to dump him later considering his injury is related to a radical change to his swing.
Grissom has the same problem that most position players that the Angels brought in this offseason. HE CAN’T HIT MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHING
And Grissom has never been disguised as a quality major league defender either.
What? Where in the article was there hate, seemed very measured to me
Don’t put it past them to do exactly that.
Nobody hates Grissom. Do you not recognize that he has never hit at the MLB level and he’s been hurt. And so far this spring he was bad–hitting below .200 and injured. What’s there to like? Someone needs to play second, but he can’t–and he’s done nothing to make the case he’s a starter when healthy, or even a bench player so far.
They’re gonna ruin Johnson like this. Start him in the Majors in 2025, send him down to start at A+, have him start the next season as a SP in the Majors again. Hardly shocking why this team burns through SP prospects like nobody’s business.
I really don’t understand how they operate and why they insist on rushing guys so quickly when it keeps failing. I don’t think guys need to waste away in AAA for years but at least a full season or two in the minors would help. Looking at his stats, they brought him up to the majors within the same year of making his pro debut. Why??
Gotta do what it takes to be close enough in July for Arte to greenlight obviously stupid trades for a non-existent playoff push, only to turn around and dfa those guys a month later.
Arte Moreno is a disgrace
Dumpster fire of a franchise. Queue a Trout injury in t-minus 10 days.
Trout? I’ll bet you any amount of money that Moncada is injured within the first 10 days.
Angels should use Oswald Peraza take over as the starting second baseman. The glove is already there, the athleticism pops, and the Angels could use that kind of steady infield defense behind this pitching staff.
Speaking of pitching Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson both looked sharp today. Kochanowicz is finally pitching like a guy who knows he belongs, and Johnson keeps proving he’s more than just depth. These two are making the rotation picture a lot more interesting than anyone expected a month ago.
With Kirby Yates landing on the IL, the closer role is suddenly wide open. No clear favorite, no obvious next man up. Someone’s going to have to step forward and grab the ninth inning I think the Angels will be OK better than than the haters say
What flavor is your Kool-Aid today?
Gonna go with cherry or grape. That certainly is optimism on a special level considering how grim this update was lol. I gotta applaud the guy for it. Just imagine how rose colored those glasses are going to be when we get an update about a trout and schanuel extened IL trip.
NyyfaninLAA land
Same flavor you’re sipping silly but I’m using a glass not like you from a masonry jar
@Johnny bravo. My guess is pomeranz. Its really the only logical guess. Joyce wasn’t placed on the 60 IL, so that’s a good sign. Hope that means he’s coming back in a couple weeks.
Of all the players mentioned in the article, which there was a lot, only Pomeranz and Frazier actually played a full mlb season. We in trouble but I think Johnson will do well.
This team has ’92 vibes with all cast aways and vets closer to retirement than an Allstar selection again.
They should probably check the driving records of all their bus drivers if that’s the case.
Can someone explain the Rendon situation to me?
Coming off a career year, 30 years old, long-term contract.
That combo rarely has a good outcome.
@braves95. He’s gone and money was deferred he’s staying on the IL all year, and collecting his check.
Thank you Rex! I knew he was done but didn’t understand how he’s still on the roster. Thought he was retired
Was a top 10 player. Left DC. Got paid huge. Got very unlucky. Didn’t rehab like a guy looking for his first big payday this time. Missed a huge amount time for it. Caught a whole lotta flack for it. Tried hard to get back. Failed. Missed more time with some bad luck again. Repeated those three things again. Restructured his deal. Will miss all of 2026 and retire officially 2027. Or so we think
Maybe the angels will be a surprise this year. Doubt is normal as the angels have been a 4.3 for a long time. Looks to me, like a real team effort this year, just to be a 500 team. Although I keep thinking to remember the 02 angels. I like what mini Asian has done. It’s a long season. With all the young pitchers like urena, it will be fun to watch. Jack k is going to out pitch everyone. Closer Ben Joyce will be back.
I like moncada and soler. The best improvements for 2026 are Maddox, Suzuki and Rodriguez. Kurt knows small ball.
Sober up.
I like the moves from an accounting perspective. Angel fans won’t like it, but if you are going to finish last, you might as well save some money in the process, trade for a few lottery tickets at the TDL, and get a top-5 pick.
Like the sit and sleep commercials say
YOUR KILLING ME PERRY!!!!
But the ballpark is safe.
You’re right. Maybe they’ll trade Ohtani and Jansen and Ward for top prospects… oh yeah. I forgot, they don’t operate that way.
A pathetic organization from the very top to the bottom. MLB needs to contract this organization.
I’m sure Angel fans (what’s left of them) are looking forward to another last place finish.
The Angels were 13th in attendance. They’re not going anywhere.
Every year between 2003 and 2019 the Angels ranked no lower than 7th in attendance.
@shortstop. Yep cheaper beer for the dad that’s a depressed fan. Cheap hot dogs for the kids. Im not sure if people notice dodger stadium was empty and the big A was full.
Let’s not forget it’s actually Mom who makes the decision to go to the stadium or not. Depressed Dad is just a purist.
Whyme,
Contraction is not based on attendance, but on competence. The Angels, under the leadership of Moreno, are an embarrassment to MLB and organized baseball. And since he suffers from separation anxiety, the only way to end the torture for Angel fans and their endless false hopes, and represent MLB with dignity, is to make them disappear. I would entertain a model of two leagues, where if a so-called MLB team fails to make the watered-down playoffs after 10 seasons, the team is dropped a level and plays only minor league teams for a minimum of 5 years, after which restatement is granted if they meet certain game metrics, like playoff wins, in the minor or B league. This model should have no effect on Halo attendance since they are already watching a minor league organization.
@ragingbull. Your right the angels suck so bad that they beat the Astros, and are 2-0.
Is Roger Dorn available?
Joe Boo refills wb constantly in need for late inning relief cobwebs
The Angels will rise again! In how many years? Only Arte’s accountant and the grim reaper know.
14 is the key number in yesterday’s win. 14
@soccer ref I assume you are talking about the number of strike outs. The Angels appeared to make moves to address the lack of contact, but still seems to be an issue. It isn’t just yesterday’s game, Hunter Brown is going to get some SOs, you can notice it in spring training as well.