Angels Rumors

AL West Notes: Abreu, Scherzer, Rendon

By Nick Deeds | April 20, 2024 at 10:55pm CDT

The Astros have struggled badly to open the year as they currently sit dead last in the AL West with a 7-15 record, four games back of Seattle and Texas for the division lead. Club GM Dana Brown recently spoke to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle regarding the club’s deep early season struggles, including commenting on the status of veteran first baseman Jose Abreu.

Abreu, 37, has hit an anemic .073/.148/.091 with a 27.9% strikeout rate and just one extra-base hit in his first 61 trips to the plate this season. While that’s a fairly small sample size, it comes on the heels of a 2023 campaign where he posted a disappointing 86 wRC+ in 141 games. Given the veteran slugger’s lack of success in an Astros uniform, Brown left the door open to the club making some changes regarding his playing time should he continue to struggle. While Brown emphasized that the club will continue to focus on getting Abreu playing time to “see if he can get hot” in the coming days, he also acknowledged that they’ll have to “circle back and make some decisions” if the veteran doesn’t show signs of improvement.

It’s an understandable stance for the club to take, though Abreu is only in the second year of his three-year, $58.5MM pact with the club. The most obvious option for the club at first base should they look to move away from Abreu is Jon Singleton, though the 32-year-old has hardly lit the world on fire himself with a .250/.333/.313 slash line in 13 games this year. Trey Cabbage and Grae Kessinger are among the other plausible options available to the club at first base currently on the 40-man roster.

More from around the AL West…

Reporting earlier this week indicated that Rangers ace Max Scherzer is ahead of schedule as he rehabs from surgery to repair a herniated disc he underwent over the offseason, and that he was scheduled to throw 40 pitches to live hitters yesterday. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, that 40-pitch session went off without a hitch and Scherzer had no issues recovering today, meaning the 39-year-old veteran is now on schedule to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday. The news is a huge shot in the arm for the club’s rotation, which has scuffled somewhat early in the season with a 4.46 FIP entering play today that placed the club ahead of only the White Sox, Rockies, and Cardinals among all major league clubs. Scherzer, who posted a 3.20 ERA and 3.40 FIP in eight starts with Texas last year, would give the club the flexibility to move an arm such as Michael Lorenzen or even Andrew Heaney to the bullpen upon his return.
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon exited this evening’s game against the Reds with a right hamstring injury, as relayed by MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger. Rendon sustained the injury while running out an infield single in the top of the first inning. Following the game, Rendon spoke to reporters (including Bollinger) about the injury, noting that his hamstring is feeling “not too great” in the aftermath of the game and that he was feeling some frustration about the constant injuries. Rendon, 34 in June, was once a star infielder for the Nationals and earned a seven-year deal with the Angels in free agency prior to the 2020 campaign. Unfortunately, his career has been completely derailed by injuries in recent years, with just 166 appearances and a 95 wRC+ since the start of the 2021 season. Should the injury result in another trip to the shelf for Rendon, it would be a major blow to the Angels. While the veteran infielder started the season in a 0-for-19 slump, since then he’s started to heat up with a .346/.403/.400 slash line in his last 13 games. In the event Rendon requires a trip to the injured list, the club could rely on Brandon Drury to cover third base in Rendon’s absence, with the club’s bench options, such as Aaron Hicks, Miguel Sano, and Jo Adell, handling DH.

Robert Stephenson To Miss 2024 Season With Elbow Injury

By Anthony Franco | April 17, 2024 at 11:39pm CDT

Angels reliever Robert Stephenson is out for the season with an elbow injury, the team informed reporters (X link via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger). The club will provide further details tomorrow. They have not yet announced whether Stephenson will undergo surgery or whether he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign.

It’s a brutal blow for the Halos, who made Stephenson their biggest addition of the offseason. The Angels inked him to a three-year, $33MM contract — their only multi-year investment of the winter. That deal contained a conditional $2.5MM team option for 2027 that triggered if Stephenson suffered damage to an elbow ligament that required an injured list stint of at least 130 consecutive days. Sam Blum of the Athletic tweets that the option will go into effect as a result of the injury.

That still offers little solace in the short term. The Halos envisioned Stephenson taking high-leverage setup work in front of closer Carlos Estévez. The righty was one of the top upside plays in last year’s relief class after an utterly dominant finish to the ’23 season.

Despite a first-round and top prospect pedigree, Stephenson has had inconsistent results for the bulk of his career. He’s long had excellent stuff, though, and he translated that into four months of elite results after being traded to the Rays last June. Stephenson leaned increasingly on a power slider/cutter in Tampa Bay that bordered on unhittable. In 42 games as a Ray, he worked to a 2.35 ERA while punching out nearly 43% of opposing batters. He induced swinging strikes on a laughable 28.9% of his pitches, an MLB-best mark that was well more than double the league average.

The Angels won’t get the chance to see how replicable that production is in 2024. Stephenson battled some shoulder soreness in Spring Training, keeping him out of action during exhibition play. The Halos sent him on a rehab stint last week, but that proved disastrous. Stephenson felt elbow discomfort against the first hitter he faced and was pulled from the game. Unfortunately, that evidently presaged a significant injury.

Los Angeles will move Stephenson to the 60-day IL whenever they need a spot on the 40-man roster. They’ll need to move forward without a player they envisioned as the key piece in a revamped bullpen. Each of Matt Moore, Luis García, José Cisnero, Adam Cimber and Hunter Strickland were offseason additions (although Moore played with the Halos before being waived last summer as part of their CBT-avoiding payroll cuts). The bullpen entered play Wednesday ranked 22nd with a 4.83 cumulative ERA, but they’d been successful holding leads until playing a pair of back-and-forth games against the Rays in the last two days.

Angels Sign Bryan Shaw, Elliot Soto To Minor League Deals

By Darragh McDonald | April 17, 2024 at 5:57pm CDT

The Angels have signed right-hander Bryan Shaw and shortstop Elliot Soto to minor league deals, per each player’s transaction tracker at MLB.com. Both have been assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake. Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register relays that Shaw will make a prorated salary of $1.1MM if he makes the major league club.

Shaw, 36, is a veteran with 796 major league appearances to this point in his career. That puts him in the top 60 on the all-time list among pitchers and third among active hurlers, behind only Kenley Jansen and David Robertson. He has a 3.96 earned run average in that time over 764 1/3 innings.

He spent last year with the White Sox, logging 45 2/3 frames with a 4.14. He struck out 21.1% of batters faced while giving out walks at an 8.9% rate. He returned to the Sox on a minor league deal this offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He struggled in his first five appearances this year, allowing four earned runs in four innings while issuing four walks. The Sox designated him for assignment last week and he elected free agency after clearing waivers.

The Angels have a few relievers on the injured list, including Guillo Zuñiga and José Quijada, but the most notable is Robert Stephenson. Signed to a three-year, $33MM deal in the offseason, he started the season on the injured list due to some shoulder soreness and is now being evaluated for some elbow soreness which occurred during his rehab. Shaw will give the club a bit of veteran non-roster depth while trying to work his way back to the big leagues.

The Halos used six relievers in last night’s 13-inning loss to the Rays, leaving their bullpen fairly taxed. They have other relievers on their 40-man roster they could recall, such as Ben Joyce or Jimmy Herget, but no one in their current bullpen mixed can be optioned down. Since someone currently on the active roster will have to be placed on the injured list or designated for assignment to get a fresh arm in the mix, Shaw might have just as good a chance as someone already on the 40-man.

Soto, 34, has three games of major league experience, which came with the Angels back in 2020. He hit .333/.429/.500 in his seven big league plate appearances but is generally considered to be a glove-first player. Since the start of 2021, he’s hit .224/.310/.318 in the minors, which includes a line of .213/.282/.299 for the Twins’ Triple-A club last year.

He has mostly played shortstop in his career but has also spent time at third base, second base and the outfield, so he can provide the Halos with depth at multiple spots. The club’s regular infielders are all out to slow starts, with each of Zach Neto, Anthony Rendon, Brandon Drury, Luis Rengifo and Nolan Schanuel provided subpar offense to this point in the season. Depth infielder Michael Stefanic is on the injured list while youngster Kyren Paris is on optional assignment in Double-A.

Soto will provide them with some non-roster depth who has been around a while, despite his limited major league track record. If he cracks the roster at any point, he has a full slate of options and just a few days of service time.

Robert Stephenson Being Evaluated For Elbow Soreness

By Anthony Franco | April 15, 2024 at 6:34pm CDT

The Angels are dealing with a bit of a scare involving offseason signee Robert Stephenson. The righty reliever departed Saturday’s Triple-A rehab outing after facing one hitter (whom he walked). While details are still sparse, the team told reporters this afternoon that he’s headed for further testing after experiencing soreness in his throwing elbow (X link via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com).

Stephenson has spent the entire season on the injured list, but the elbow issue seems to be new. His original IL placement came as a result of some shoulder discomfort that arose during Spring Training. The abbreviated rehab appearance was his first official game action as a member of the Los Angeles organization.

The Halos signed Stephenson to a three-year, $33MM pact that represented their biggest investment of the winter. While they more or less overhauled the entire bullpen, Stephenson was the only player to whom they made a multi-year commitment. They envisioned him stepping in as a high-end setup arm in front of Carlos Estévez, but his Angels tenure has gotten off to a rocky start. Stephenson was arguably the best reliever in MLB for the final few months of the 2023 season. After being traded from the Pirates to the Rays in early June, he threw 38 1/3 innings of 2.35 ERA ball with a massive 42.9% strikeout rate.

It’s far too soon to know whether he’s in danger of missing significant time. If there is a long-term elbow issue, however, it could have an impact on Stephenson’s contract status. His three-year deal includes a provision that the Halos would receive a $2.5MM club option for the 2027 campaign if he suffers an elbow ligament injury that knocks him out of action for 130+ days.

AL West Notes: Stephenson, Canzone, Verlander, Valdez

By Mark Polishuk | April 14, 2024 at 5:44pm CDT

Robert Stephenson ended his minor league rehab outing after four pitches yesterday, as the Angels right-hander called for the team trainer and then left the mound. Manager Ron Washington told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that Stephenson would be undergoing tests, but didn’t offer any other details about the situation.

Shoulder inflammation kept Stephenson from pitching during Spring Training, yet after beginning the season on the 15-day injured list, the reliever seemed to be making good progress in his recovery and was looking to be part of the Angels’ roster before April was over. Yesterday’s news seems to put that timeline in jeopardy, and the only hope now is that Stephenson’s setback is less ominous than it seemed. A dominant four-month stretch with the Rays last season turned Stephenson into one of the more sought-after commodities in the free agent relief market this past winter, and the Angels landed the righty on a three-year, $33MM contract.

Angels Sign Cole Tucker To Minor League Deal

By Nick Deeds | April 13, 2024 at 8:47pm CDT

The Angels recently signed infielder Cole Tucker to a minor league deal, per the transactions log on Tucker’s MLB.com player page.

Tucker, 28 in July, was a first-round pick by the Pirates in the 2014 draft. He made his big league debut with the club in 2019 at the age of 22, but hit just .211/.266/.361 in 56 games during his rookie season. That remains his career high for games played in the majors to this day, as he would go on to spend the next several seasons shuttling between the majors and Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis. While he built up a decent career line of .250/.350/.382 at the Triple-A level during those seasons, his performance at the big league level left something to be desired as he slashed a paltry .211/.256/.291 in 98 games with the Pirates between 2020 and 2022.

Eventually, the Pirates designated Tucker for assignment in May of 2022 to make room for infielder Yu Chang on their 40-man roster. Shortly thereafter, Tucker was claimed by the Diamondbacks. Unfortunately, he slashed just .237/.297/.325 at the Triple-A level across 35 games in the organization and never made it to the majors with the club. Tucker found himself designated for assignment once again and was assigned outright to the minors in early July. That led Tucker to become a free agent for the first time in his career ahead of the 2022-23 offseason.

Tucker didn’t spend very long on the market, as he signed with the Rockies on a minor league deal in early December. He posted some of the best numbers of his career during his time in the Rockies organization, slashing a solid .280/.391/.407 in 321 trips to the plate with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque before getting the call back to the big leagues shortly after the trade deadline. Tucker enjoyed a hot streak while in the majors with Colorado, gathering four hits and a walk in ten plate appearances. Unfortunately, those ten trips to the plate were the only ones Tucker would get in a Rockies uniform, as he was designated for assignment by the club shortly after being selected to the majors in both August and September of last year.

The switch-hitter returned to free agency this winter and lingered on the market until the end of January, when he landed a minor league deal with the Mariners. His time in Seattle was short-lived, however, as he was granted his release last month just before the season began so he could pursue a new deal elsewhere. He’s now found that deal with another AL West club in the Angels. The 27-year-old offers minimal power and has generally struggled at the plate throughout his big league career, but he does offer a switch-hitting bat and plenty of versatility that could make him a decent depth option for a bench spot in case of injuries.

Tucker has experience at every position on the diamond except catcher from his time in the minor leagues, and as a big leaguer he’s spent time at second base, shortstop, center field, right field, and even made a one-inning cameo at first back in 2021. Tucker figures to head to the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City for the time being, where he’ll look to prove his stronger offensive numbers in 2023 weren’t a fluke and position himself as the next man up in case of an injury to the big league club alongside fellow non-roster veterans like Jake Marisnick and Hunter Dozier.

Orioles Claim Liván Soto Off Waivers From Angels

By Darragh McDonald | April 11, 2024 at 2:15pm CDT

The Angels announced that infielder Liván Soto has been claimed off waivers by the Orioles while right-hander Zach Plesac has been sent outright to Triple-A Salt Lake. Both players were designated for assignment earlier this week. The Orioles had two open spots on their 40-man roster, which is now at 39. The O’s also announced their claim of Soto, noting that he has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

This is the second time the Orioles have claimed Soto off waivers from the Angels this year. The first came back in February, though the Angels were able to claim him right back that same month, just over a week later. But now Soto is going from the Angels’ roster to the Orioles’ roster yet again.

Soto, 24 in June, has excelled in the majors so far, though in a small sample. He has slashed .375/.414/.531 in his 71 plate appearances in the big leagues. His minor league track record doesn’t suggest he can maintain anything close to that kind of production. In 1,505 trips to the plate on the farm since the start of 2021, he has a combined batting line of .246/.340/.355 for a wRC+ of 86.

Despite that subpar offensive output, he has other attributes. He had a bit of speed, racking up double-digit stolen base totals in the minors in 2021 and 2022, and has enough versatility to play the two middle infield spots or third base.

The Orioles have an infield filled with young talent, including Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday up the middle. Ryan Mountcastle has been getting most of the playing time at first base this year while Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías have been sharing third base and Jorge Mateo is on hand as a bench/utility option.

The recent promotion of Holliday likely left the O’s with a spot on the Tides for Soto and they had two open spots on the 40-man, so it’s understandable why they would put in a claim and add some extra depth. Soto is still young and has another option year remaining after this one, so he can theoretically continue serving as a depth option well into the future if he continues to hang onto his 40-man spot. Though the O’s also have a penchant for claiming guys and trying to run them through waivers later, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Soto sent down that path at some point.

As for Plesac, 29, he seemed to be emerging as a viable big league starter with Cleveland a few years ago. He had a 3.32 earned run average over 29 starts in 2019 and 2020, but his ERA climbed over the next two seasons, a combined 4.49 in 2021 and 2022. His first five starts in 2023 led to an awful 7.59 ERA and he lost his roster spot with the Guardians.

The Halos signed him to a $1MM deal this winter but put him on waivers after just two Triple-A starts and none of the other 29 clubs put in a claim. Since he has over three years of big league service time, he can technically reject this outright assignment and elect free agency. But since he doesn’t have five years of service time, doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of his salary, so it seems fair to expect him to accept it and stay with the Halos as non-roster depth.

Angels Notes: Silseth, Rotation, Stephenson

By Darragh McDonald | April 11, 2024 at 10:15am CDT

The Angels got a bit of a scare recently when right-hander Chase Silseth was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation and was sent for an MRI. Thankfully, that MRI found just inflammation and no ligament damage. The pitcher himself gave the good news to members of the media yesterday, including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, adding that he hopes to be back in about three weeks.

That’s obviously a much better outcome than the worst-case scenario of some kind of surgery that would have wiped out the rest of his season or even part of next year. Silseth was able to toss 52 1/3 innings for the club in a swing role last year with a 3.96 earned run average, showing enough promise to get a rotation job here in 2024. His first two outings didn’t go especially well, resulting in six earned runs allowed over eight innings, but it’s possible the injury was playing a role there.

With Silseth out, the Angels bumped José Soriano into the rotation, alongside Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Tyler Anderson and Griffin Canning. Soriano struck out six opponents in four innings last night but also allowed four earned runs on six hits.

It’s just one start and Soriano could certainly get in a better groove going forward, but he also may hit an innings limit at some point if he were to stay in the rotation. He underwent Tommy John surgery in both February of 2020 and June of 2021, meaning he hardly pitched over the 2020 to 2022 period before throwing 65 1/3 innings last year between the majors and minors. Perhaps he can hold down a rotation spot for a few weeks while Silseth is out and then slide back into the bullpen, allowing him to grow his workload relative to last year but without hitting a wall. The Angels are still interested in seeing what he can do as a starter over the long term but they are surely aware that he can’t suddenly launch into the 200-inning range this year.

Turning to the bullpen, Robert Stephenson is going to start a rehab assignment this Sunday, per Bollinger. He was the biggest signing for the Halos this winter, netting himself a three-year, $33MM deal. But he hasn’t yet made his debut as an Angel since he experienced some shoulder soreness during the spring and began the season on the injured list. He recently said he’s targeting a late April return and this seems to be in line with that.

After being acquired by the Rays last year, Stephenson was one of the best relievers in the league. He posted a 2.35 ERA in his 42 appearances, striking out a tremendous 42.9% of batters faced while walking just 5.7% of them. Since he was previously a first-round pick and highly-touted prospect, this seemed to be the long-awaited breakout that didn’t materialize in previous seasons as injuries got in the way. The Angels are still waiting to find out if their bet on Stephenson was a wise one but it seems he’ll be able to join the club shortly.

Getting both Silseth and Stephenson healthy will be good for the club, bolstering both the rotation and the bullpen. The Halos are out to an even 6-6 start through 12 games, but that’s largely in spite of some poor pitching. The club’s collective ERA of 5.09 this year is 29th out of the 30 clubs, ahead of only the Rockies and their dreadful 6.57 mark.

Angels Sign Angel Felipe To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | April 8, 2024 at 11:15pm CDT

The Angels recently signed reliever Angel Felipe to a minor league deal (h/t to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy). While the contract details aren’t clear, it seems fair to presume that was a two-year pact. Felipe underwent Tommy John surgery last month and will miss the entire 2024 season.

Felipe entered Spring Training holding a 40-man roster spot with the A’s. The 26-year-old righty had made his major league debut with Oakland a year ago. A waiver claim out of the San Diego organization, Felipe tossed 15 innings of seven-run ball for the A’s in the second half.

While he held his job over the winter, the surgery marked an end to his A’s tenure. Oakland designated Felipe for assignment shortly after announcing he’d go under the knife. They released him after the DFA, as injured players cannot go on outright waivers.

In parts of eight minor league campaigns, Felipe owns a 4.65 ERA. He allowed 5.46 earned runs per nine innings in 30 appearances between San Diego’s and Oakland’s Triple-A affiliates last season. The 6’5″ hurler missed a decent number of bats, fanning a third of opposing hitters. He also walked nearly 14% of batters faced, continuing a trend of career-long issues finding the strike zone.

Angels Designate Zach Plesac, Liván Soto For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | April 8, 2024 at 6:00pm CDT

The Angels announced a series of roster moves today, placing right-handers Chase Silseth and Guillo Zuñiga on the 15-day injured list, Silseth due to right elbow inflammation and Zuñiga a right pectoral strain. Taking their spots on the active roster will be taken by right-handers Carson Fulmer and Hunter Strickland, with each having their contract selected. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club has designated infielder Liván Soto and right-hander Zach Plesac for assignment.

It’s not yet clear how severe the injuries to Silseth and Zuñiga are, though the club clearly feels that each hurler needs an IL stint. In the case of Silseth, he recently underwent an MRI but is still awaiting the results, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. While the club awaits to find out the severity of that ailment, José Soriano will step into the rotation and start on Wednesday, per Fletcher.

Soriano was a starter as a prospect but required Tommy John surgery in February of 2020 and then again in June of 2021. Obviously, he hardly pitched from 2020 through 2022, but he returned to the mound in a relief role last year. He tossed 23 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.24 earned run average and posted a 3.64 ERA in 42 major league innings. His 12.4% walk rate in the majors was very much on the high side but he also punched out 30.3% of batters faced and kept 51% of balls in play on the ground.

The Halos stretched him out this spring but he got squeezed out of a rotation spot with each of Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning and Silseth staying healthy through the end of camp. Soriano has been working a long relief role of late, with a pair of three-inning appearances thus far. Now that Silseth is on the shelf for a little while, it seems he’ll get stretched out again.

Soriano’s move means that the bullpen is losing two members, between him and Zuñiga, so the Halos will add Fulmer and Strickland to fill those spots. The 30-year-old Fulmer was with the Angels last year but was non-tendered at season’s end, eventually returning on a minor league deal. He has made one minor league appearance already this year, tossing three innings, meaning he could perhaps provide the bullpen with some length.

He was only able to toss 10 major league innings last year, with a 2.70 ERA in that time, but his larger body of major league work has thus far resulted in a 6.14 ERA over 140 2/3 innings. His 19% strikeout rate, 13.2% walk rate and 40.7% ground ball rate are all a few ticks worse than league average.

Strickland, 35, has a 3.41 ERA over his 408 major league appearances dating back to 2014. However, it’s been a while since he’s been in impressive form. He was limited to just 11 Triple-A innings last year with an 11.45 ERA before being released by the Reds in May and sitting out the rest of the year. In 2022, he was able to make 66 appearances for the Reds in the big leagues but with a 4.91 ERA. But in 2021, he was able to finish with a 2.91 ERA over 57 appearances.

To add those two arms to the roster, the Angels have removed Plesac and Soto. The 29-year-old Plesac once looked like a rotation building block in Cleveland, as he posted a 3.32 ERA over 29 starts in 2019 and 2020. But his ERA jumped in the next two seasons, as he posted a combined 4.49 ERA over 2021 and 2022. His first five starts of the 2023 campaign led to a disastrous 7.59 ERA and he was outrighted off Cleveland’s roster, becoming a free agent at season’s end.

The Angels gave him a roster spot via a one-year major league deal with a $1MM base but he’s quickly been bounced off the roster. He had a lackluster 5.68 ERA in his three spring appearances and has a 4.66 ERA with a 17.5% walk rate after two Triple-A starts this year. The Angels will now have a week to trade Plesac or put him on waivers. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would have the right to elect free agency as a player with more than three years of service time. However, he lacks the five years of service time necessary to both reject the outright assignment and retain his salary, so he might decide to stay and keep his $1MM in that scenario.

As for Soto, 24 in June, he has an excellent career batting line of .375/.414/.531 but in a tiny sample of just 71 plate appearances. In 1,505 minor league plate appearances since the start of 2021, he’s hit a combined line of .246/.340/.355 for a wRC+ of just 86. Despite that fairly tepid offense, Soto can steal some bases and is capable of providing solid defense at the three infield spots to the left of first base.

The Angels put Soto on waivers in February and he was claimed by the Orioles, though the Halos claimed him back a couple of weeks later. The Halos will now have a week to figure out how to proceed this time, whether that’s a trade or putting Soto on waivers again.

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