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Angels Designate Hunter Strickland For Assignment

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The Angels announced that they have designated veteran right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland for assignment. In a corresponding move, the club recalled righty James Hoyt.

Strickland has only been with the Angels for a few weeks, as the team acquired him from the Rays for cash considerations or a player to be named later on May 15. At that point, Strickland owned a stingy 1.69 ERA with a 24.2 percent strikeout rate and a 9.1 percent walk rate in 16 innings, but he was unable to continue that effectiveness as an Angel. The 32-year-old now sports a 4.03 ERA with a 20 percent strikeout rate against a 10 percent walk rate through 22 1/3 frames.

The Angels could find a taker in a trade for Strickland, who has enjoyed a solid career despite recent struggles. Otherwise, considering Strickland has been outrighted in the past and has enough service time, he may elect to test free agency if he doesn’t want to join the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate.

Angels Reinstate Jose Iglesias From Injured List, Option Jose Rojas

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The Angels have reinstated shortstop Jose Iglesias from the injured list, per Jack Harris of the LA Times (via Twitter). Jose Rojas was optioned to create the open roster spot.

Iglesias went down on May 28th with a left hamstring strain, though by the looks of it, that move was made retroactive to May 25th, the last time Iglesias appeared in a ballgame. Regardless, he’s back and easing back into action as the designated hitter tonight. For the season, he’s hitting .283/.317/.396 with four home runs and two stolen bases over 167 plate appearances.

Rojas, 28, made his Major League debut this season, and he’s seen relatively regular duty for most of the season. Appearing in 43 games, the multi-positional, lefty-swinger has batted .190/.246/.364 across 130 plate appearances. Rojas has started 10 games at second, 11 at third, one game in left and seven in right field while also appearing in two games at first.

With Anthony Rendon healthy, the Angels are hoping they won’t need as much coverage at the hot corner, and Iglesias’ return mitigates their need up the middle. Kean Wong and Phil Gosselin will be the primary backups on the infield, while Taylor Ward has laid claim to a role as a corner outfielder. Gosselin and Wong are also both capable of playing in the grass.

Angels Sign Jake Petricka To Minors Contract

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The Angels signed righty Jake Petricka to a minor league deal, purchasing his contract from the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League.  (The Rockers’ Twitter feed announced the move earlier this week.)

Petricka’s last MLB appearance was on April 26, 2019, while pitching for the Brewers.  He was dealt to the Rangers later that season and then signed a minors contract with the Blue Jays prior to the 2020 campaign, though neither of those changes of scenery resulted in any big league playing time.  After multiple offseason workouts for scouts didn’t result in a new contract with a Major League organization, Petricka signed with the Rockers in May, and ended up pitching just a single scoreless inning for the club.

Best known for his time as a stalwart member of the White Sox bullpen, Petricka’s career was largely thrown off-track after a pair of injury-plagued seasons in 2016 and 2017.  He posted a 3.24 ERA over 144 1/3 innings with Chicago from 2013-15, but only a 5.15 ERA over 87 1/3 innings with the White Sox, Blue Jays, and Brewers from 2016-19, largely due to a big spike in his home run rate.

Today marks Petricka’s 33rd birthday, so there’s still time for him to get a second act in the big leagues.  Given the struggles of the Angels’ bullpen, Petricka might get an opportunity sooner rather than later as the team continues to look for stability in the relief corps.

Angels Activate Max Stassi, Option Jose Quijada

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The Angels have activated catcher Max Stassi from the injured list, per the team. He’ll be in the lineup and starting behind the plate for the Angels tonight. Meanwhile, Drew Butera has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, and Jose Quijada was optioned to Triple-A in order to create the roster spot to bring Stassi off the IL.

Stassi returns to the lineup with a .241/.313/.345 batting line across 32 plate appearances. He’s one of three catchers currently on the roster, along with Kurt Suzuki and Anthony Bemboom. If healthy, Stassi figures to get a healthy share of the playing time behind the dish.

The veteran Butera remains in the organization to serve as further depth. The Angels’ catching corps has been beat up for much of the season – and they’re not a young group – so Butera may very well find himself with another opportunity this year. He’ll be seeking a redemptive effort after going just 3-for-32 with 16 strikeouts in 32 plate appearances.

As for Quijada, the 25-year-old southpaw logged 3 1/3 scoreless innings across a pair of outings. He went 1 2/3 innings yesterday, and while he didn’t allow a run and struck out three, he also walked three and allowed both of his inherited runners to score – one via a wild pitch and the other via a Wilmer Flores double.

Angels Place Jose Quintana On 10-Day Injured List

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The Angels announced that left-hander Jose Quintana has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to shoulder inflammation.  Southpaw Jose Quijada will take Quintana’s spot on the active roster.

Quintana threw three innings in a start yesterday before being removed from the game due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder, so today’s IL news isn’t a surprise.  It is only the third time in Quintana’s 10 Major League seasons that he has been sent to the injured list, though rather troublingly, all three of those placements have come within the last two seasons.  A picture of durability for much of his career, Quintana threw only 10 innings in 2020 with the Cubs due to left lat inflammation and a nerve problem in his left thumb.

Despite this abbreviated season, the Angels inked Quintana to a one-year, $8MM free agent contract in the hopes that he could help stabilize their long-suffering rotation.  Unfortunately, that hope hasn’t worked out, as Quintana has a 7.22 ERA through 33 2/3 innings.  Batters are making a lot of hard contact against Quintana’s pitchers and his 15.7% walk rate is by far the largest of his career.  There are some brief glimmers of hope, however, as Quintana’s 30.1% strikeout rate is also a career-best, and his SIERA is a much more palatable 4.37.  The left-hander has been victimized by the Angels’ poor defense, as Quintana has a stunningly high .400 BABIP.

Patrick Sandoval is the probable candidate to take Quintana’s rotation spot, manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times).  Sandoval has already started his last three outings, due to various fill-in and spot start circumstances, so it makes for a relatively easy transition for the left-hander.  The Statcast metrics haven’t liked Sandoval’s work this season, but he has managed a 3.80 ERA over 21 1/3 frames of work.

Angels Select Kean Wong, Designate Drew Butera

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The Angels selected the contract of infielder Kean Wong prior to today’s game with the Athletics.  Catcher Drew Butera was designated for assignment last night to open up a roster spot.

Wong was in today’s starting lineup, marking his first appearance in an MLB game since the 2019 season.  Wong made his Major League debut that season, appearing in seven total games with the Rays and (after a late-season waiver claim) Angels.  The Giants then claimed Wong off waivers in November 2019, before he returned to Anaheim on a minor league contract this past winter.

A veteran of nine minor league seasons, Wong will add some depth to an Angels infield that lost Jose Iglesias and Franklin Barreto to the injured list.  Wong has spent much of his career as a second and third baseman, but has also gotten playing time as a left fielder and seen a handful of games as a shortstop and corner outfielder.  With Iglesias out and David Fletcher taking over shortstop duties, Wong and Phil Gosselin are likely to combine for an interim second base platoon.  (Wong started at second base for the Halos today.)

Butera was acquired in a minor trade with the Rangers earlier this month, when the Angels were hurting for catching depth due to injuries.  With Max Stassi now on a Triple-A rehab assignment following a concussion, the Halos seem content with Stassi, Kurt Suzuki and Anthony Bemboom as their catching mix, leaving Butera expendable.

If this is it for Butera with the Angels, his 12 games will at least exceed his previous stint with the team — 10 games during the 2015 season.  The well-traveled veteran is in his 12th Major League season, and now may be looking to join his ninth different organization.

Injury Notes: J. Iglesias, J. Castro, Luplow, Ruf

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The latest injury notes from around baseball…

  • The Angels have placed shortstop Jose Iglesias on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, the team announced. Iglesias, whom the Angels acquired from the Orioles in the offseason, has batted .283/.317/.396 with four home runs and two stolen bases over 167 plate appearances. He hasn’t started since May 25, leaving shortstop to David Fletcher.
  • The Astros have put catcher Jason Castro on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 25) with left Achilles soreness and recalled backstop Garrett Stubbs, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. Castro, who opened his career with the Astros from 2010-16, rejoined the team on a two-year, $7MM guarantee during the offseason. The deal looked good for the Astros before Castro’s IL placement, considering he has hit .271/.397/.479, though he has only taken 59 plate appearances while playing second fiddle to Martin Maldonado.
  • The Indians sent outfielder Jordan Luplow to the IL on Friday with an ankle issue, according to the team. It’s a problem Luplow has been dealing with since spring training, and manager Terry Francona said the club is “trying to figure it out” (via the Associated Press).  The 27-year-old Luplow is off to a .165/.325/.433 start with seven home runs in 121 plate appearances. Despite the low BA, Luplow’s production has been 13 percent better than average, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric.
  • The Giants will go three to four weeks without first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf, Kerry Crowley of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Ruf went on the 10-day IL list on Thursday with a strained right hamstring, joining fellow first baseman Brandon Belt on the shelf. Both players have recorded well-above-average production this season, but the Giants will have to go without the pair for at least a couple weeks. They started LaMonte Wade Jr. at first base on Friday.

Mickey Callaway Placed On Ineligible List Through At Least 2022

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Major League Baseball has placed Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway on its ineligible list through at least the 2022 season, commissioner Rob Manfred announced. The league made the decision after investigating Callaway for harassment allegations that were levied against him. The Angels have fired Callaway, per a team announcement. Maanfred issued the following statement on his ruling:

My office has completed its investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Mickey Callaway.  Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Callaway violated MLB’s policies, and that placement on the Ineligible List is warranted.  We want to thank the many people who cooperated with our Department of Investigations (DOI) in their work, which spanned Mr. Callaway’s positions with three different Clubs.  The Clubs that employed Mr. Callaway each fully cooperated with DOI, including providing emails and assisting with identifying key witnesses.  Harassment has no place within Major League Baseball, and we are committed to providing an appropriate work environment for all those involved in our game.

The allegations against Callaway first came to light in a report from Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic, who explained that five women in sports media accused him of lewd behavior. The Angels subsequently suspended Callaway, and Ghiroli, Strang and colleague Ken Rosenthal soon reported that even more women had come forward to make allegations against Callaway. In one case, Callaway was said to carry on an extramarital affair with a woman whose husband found out and made Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff aware. The husband also reportedly contacted another of Callaway’s former employers, the Mets, to make a complaint, but nothing was done back then.

In response to the reports, Callaway admitted in March to multiple “infidelities” but maintained that some of the reporting was “inaccurate.” He also denied using his position to harass women, but MLB concluded otherwise during its lengthy investigation. Now, Callaway is facing a year-plus ban, and it seems hard to believe any MLB team will hire him when he’s eligible to return.

West Notes: Belt, Bellinger, Gonzales, Pomeranz, Adell

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The Giants are placing first baseman Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list with a mild left oblique strain and recalling infielder Jason Vosler, per manager Gabe Kapler (via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Kapler doesn’t expect Belt to miss more than 10 to 14 days, and in the meantime, Darin Ruf will get the lion’s share of playing time at first base. Even a short absence for Belt could be a tough blow for the contending Giants, though, considering he’s off to a .228/.350/.447 start with eight home runs in 137 plate appearances. However, Ruf has also hit well – albeit over a smaller sample of 97 PA – with a .228/.361/.506 line and six long balls.

  • The Dodgers are hopeful that slugger Cody Bellinger will return from the injured list on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts told Juan Toribio of MLB.com and other reporters. Los Angeles has gone nearly the entire season without Bellinger, who suffered a hairline fracture in his left leg and hasn’t played since April 5. Nevertheless, the reigning World Series champions have more than held their own in Bellinger’s absence, having won eight straight to improve to 30-18.
  • Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales, out since April with a forearm strain, is making progress and could come back during the team’s upcoming homestand (May 27-June 2), per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. Gonzales was one of the top starters in the league year, but he’s off to a rough beginning this season between the injury and his performance. Before going on the IL, Gonzales recorded a surprisingly poor 5.40 ERA/4.87 SIERA in 28 1/3 innings, and his walk rate skyrocketed compared to 2020. He issued walks just 2.5 percent of the time then, but he’s up to 9.1 now.
  • Padres reliever Drew Pomeranz has suffered a setback in his recovery from a left shoulder impingement, manager Jayce Tingler announced to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com and other reporters. The Padres will shut Pomeranz down from throwing for about a week and then decide how to proceed. Unfortunately, injuries have been a common problem since Pomeranz’s career began in 2011. When healthy, though, he has been a revelation for the Padres since they inked him to a four-year, $34MM contract before 2020. Dating back to then, the 32-year-old has registered a 1.67 ERA with a highly impressive 38 percent strikeout rate in 32 1/3 innings, including 13 2/3 this season.
  • Despite his encouraging start to the season at the Triple-A level, the Angels have not recalled top outfield prospect Jo Adell. That doesn’t look as if it’s going to change imminently, as general manager Perry Minasian said Tuesday (via Bill Shaikin of the LA Times): “He’s making some strides. He’s not there yet.” While the 22-year-old Adell has hit a power-packed .266/.326/.696 with 10 home runs in 86 plate appearances, he has posted a high strikeout rate of 33.7 percent at the same time. Strikeouts have been an issue over the past few years for Adell, including during his major league debut last season. He fanned in 41.7 percent of his 132 PA then and batted a woeful .161/.212/.266.

West Notes: Angels, Adell, Mariners, France, Diamondbacks, Widener

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Angels manager Joe Maddon spoke with his GM Perry Minasian about potentially turning to top prospect Jo Adell in the wake of Mike Trout’s injury, per Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times (via Twitter). Ultimately, the Angels feel Adell needs more development time and that takes precedence to the team’s need in the short-term. Adell has hit .246/.319/.631 in Triple-A, but his strikeout rate remains disconcertingly high at 36.1 percent. Elsewhere out west…

  • Ty France could be back as early as tomorrow for the Mariners, per Corey Brock of the Athletic (via Twitter). Left wrist inflammation sent France to the injured list in the middle of May. France has walked at a career-best 10.5 percent rate in 153 plate appearances this season, but his numbers have otherwise been a touch down from last year. Still, despite a .278 BABIP and .137 ISO, both of which should rebound at least a touch, France has still been five percent better than average with the bat. If he’s not back on Tuesday, the Mariners regardless expect him to return at some point in their series against Oakland.
  • Taylor Widener was removed from his start today with right groin discomfort, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Widener had just been activated from the injured list after a groin injury, so this is certainly an unwelcome development for the right-hander. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings before handing the ball to the bullpen. The bullpen did a nice job keeping the Diamondbacks in the game, but they ultimately lost 4-3 to the Rockies, their eighth straight loss.
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