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Juan Lagares Elects Free Agency

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Outfielder Juan Lagares has elected free agency after clearing waivers and being designated for assignment by the Angels last week, per the organization. With more than five years of service time under his belt the 33-year-old Lagares had the right to reject his outright assignment to the minors and head to the free agent market instead.

The Halos signed Lagares to a minor league pact in May, the second consecutive offseason deal Lagares agreed to with the team. In a brief taste of Triple-A at-bats this season the centerfielder hit .308/.379/.462, but since being called up in late May he has hit just .183/.210/.250 (31 OPS+) as part of a strong Angels outfield.

With souring (but still league average-ish) defensive metrics and speed, the former Met farmhand is best suited for fourth outfielder duty at this stage in his career. With center field playability on his side it seems likely another organization will take a flyer on Lagares as bench or upper minors depth in the coming days.

Archie Bradley Shut Down For At Least Four Weeks With Elbow Fracture

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Angels reliever Archie Bradley was placed on the 15-day injured list with a fracture in his throwing elbow this evening. Trainer Mike Frostad tells reporters (including Sam Blum of the Athletic and Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times) that he’ll be shut down from throwing entirely for at least four weeks. Frostad estimated it’ll be multiple months before he’s able to return to the majors. Bradley suffered the injury during Sunday’s brawl between the Halos and Mariners, when he slipped trying to climb over the dugout railing.

Signed to a $3.75MM guarantee over the offseason, Bradley has made 21 appearances on the year. He owns a 4.82 ERA across 18 2/3 innings, striking out just 19.2% of batters faced. It’s the second consecutive season in which he’s not missed many bats, but Bradley has continued to shoulder high-leverage innings late in games. To his credit, the right-hander has induced grounders on almost three-fifths of batted balls against him, an excellent rate that has contributed to his allowing just one home run all season.

Unfortunately, the Halos will now be without one their more trusted late-game arms for the foreseeable future. An eventual transfer to the 60-day injured list seems all but inevitable, as the 29-year-old is seemingly looking at a September return at the earliest. That obviously won’t afford him much time to demonstrate his health before he again hits the open market next winter.

The fracture also all but eliminates the possibility of the Angels moving Bradley midseason. Entering play Tuesday with a 36-40 record, the Halos could find themselves dealing away short-term players in advance of the August 2 trade deadline. Flipping Bradley wouldn’t have brought back a massive return, but there’d likely have been some interest from other clubs given his high-leverage experience and lofty ground-ball numbers.

Players on the injured list can still be traded, but it’s hard to envision another team dealing for Bradley at this point. He seems unlikely to be available for more than the final month of the regular season, at best, and his status as an impending free agent means there isn’t any long-term upside in acquiring him for a contending club.

Major League Baseball Issues 12 Suspensions For Angels – Mariners Brawl

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Major League Baseball has handed down 12 suspensions arising from yesterday’s bench-clearing brawl between the Angels and Mariners. The league also handed out undisclosed fines. Nine of the individuals disciplined are from the Angels, while the Mariners lose a trio of players. The discipline is as follows:

Angels

  • Interim manager Phil Nevin: Ten games
  • Third baseman Anthony Rendon: Five games
  • Assistant pitching coach Dom Chiti: Five games
  • Right-hander Andrew Wantz: Three games
  • Right-hander Ryan Tepera: Two games
  • Right-hander Raisel Iglesias: Two games
  • Bench coach Ray Montgomery: Two games
  • Interpreter Manny del Campo: Two games
  • Catching coach Bill Haselman: One game

Mariners

The fight occurred during yesterday afternoon’s contest (video link). Wantz, who opened the game for the Halos, threw a pitch behind Rodríguez in the first inning. That came on the heels of the Angels taking umbrage to an up-and-in offering from Erik Swanson to Mike Trout the night before, and it resulted in warnings from the umpiring crew. Wantz nevertheless hit Winker with the first pitch of the following inning. The Seattle left fielder initially seemed as if he’d simply take first base, but he wound up making his way towards the Angels’ dugout. That kicked off a few minutes of fighting that eventually resulted in the ejections of Wantz, Winker, Crawford, Rodríguez, Nevin, Tepera, Iglesias and Seattle manager Scott Servais.

Wantz’s suspension is for “intentionally throwing at Winker while warnings were in place,” according to MLB. Nevin has been suspended for Wantz’s pitches, while everyone else involved was banned for their roles in the melee itself.

Players are afforded an appellate right for on-field discipline. MLB announced that Wantz has already foregone his appeal and will begin serving his suspension today. The league didn’t indicate that any other players had done that, so they’ll remain on the roster while their suspensions are being heard. Rendon is on the injured list after undergoing season-ending wrist surgery two weeks ago. His suspension won’t take effect until he’s back on the active roster — meaning he’ll presumably miss the first five games of the 2023 season.

Coaches do not have the right to appeal their suspensions. Nevin, Chiti and del Campo will begin serving their bans tonight; Montgomery and Haselman will be out once Chiti returns five games from now.

Notably, players suspended for on-field rules violations cannot be replaced on the active roster. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that the Mariners will be permitted to stagger any bans for their suspended players so as not to have the position player group decimated at the same time — it’s unclear if a similar setup will be in place for the Halos’ bullpen — but the teams will both be playing short-handed for a while once the appeals process is sorted out. While the Angels were dealt significantly more suspensions in terms of quantity, Seattle will feel the bigger hit in on-field production (assuming the suspensions aren’t overturned on appeal) with the subtraction of a trio of regulars from the lineup.

Angels Claim Dillon Thomas, Designate Kyle Barraclough For Assignment

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The Angels announced Monday that they’ve claimed corner outfielder Dillon Thomas off waivers from the Astros and assigned him to Triple-A Salt Lake. Righty Kyle Barraclough was designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Thomas makes his return to the Halos, with which he signed a minor league contract over the winter. He spent much of the season in Salt Lake, hitting .295/.398/.489 with eight home runs through 211 trips to the plate. That earned him a big league call a few weeks back, but he was designated for assignment after a lone appearance.

The 29-year-old landed with his hometown Astros via waivers, but his stint in the Houston organization didn’t last much longer than his initial stay on the Halos’ 40-man roster. He was immediately optioned to Triple-A by the Astros and designated for assignment after just five outings there. Thomas didn’t appear in an MLB game with Houston and now heads back to the organization with which he began the 2021 season.

An 11-year minor league veteran, Thomas only has five games of big league experience (four with last year’s Mariners, one with Anaheim). He owns an impressive upper minors track record and is only in his second option year, though, making him an interesting upper level depth player for clubs. Thomas will hope for a more lasting stay on the Angels’ roster this time around.

Barraclough was also an offseason minor league signee. The reliever was an excellent late-game weapon for the Marlins early in his career, but he’s struggled with his control and home runs in recent years. He’s bounced around the league in journeyman fashion going back to 2019. That included a ten-game stint with the Twins last season, and he appeared in eight games with Anaheim this year after getting called up in early May.

The 32-year-old tossed nine innings of three-run ball, punching out nine while walking four. He averaged just north of 93 MPH on his fastball, right in line with his recent seasons’ work but down about three ticks from his peak days in Miami. The Angels will have a week to trade Barraclough or place him on waivers. He’d have the right to refuse a minor league assignment in favor of free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Angels Designate Juan Lagares For Assignment

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Angels outfielder Juan Lagares has been designated for assignment, per an announcement from the team. His spot on the active and 40-man rosters will go to fellow outfielder Monte Harrison, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Salt Lake.

Selected to the big league roster late last month for his second stint with the Halos, Lagares has appeared in 20 games this year but managed only a .183/.210/.250 batting line. While he’s always been a defensive-minded outfielder, Lagares’ production at the plate has taken a major downturn over the past several seasons; dating back to the 2019 campaign, he carries a .222/.267/.341 output in 674 trips to the plate.

The Angels will have a week to trade Lagares, pass him through outright waivers or release him. He’d have the ability to reject an outright assignment to Salt Lake if he clears waivers.

Harrison, 26, once rated as one of the best outfield prospects in all of baseball. One of four players traded from Milwaukee to Miami in the lopsided Christian Yelich blockbuster, he made his MLB debut in 2020 but has yet to make much of an impact in the big leagues, where he’s batted .175/.230/.263 in a tiny sample of 62 plate appearances.

Harrison’s prospect sheen began to fade as he faced mounting strikeout concerns in the upper minors. He’s fanned in a whopping 35.1% of his plate appearances at the Triple-A level, including exactly 35% of his 200 trips to the plate this season. Harrison is only hitting .213/.305/.368 in Salt Lake this season, but he’s nevertheless gone 20-for-23 in stolen base attempts and will bring some speed, defense and a right-handed bat to the Angels’ bench. Scouting reports on Harrison, at his peak, praised his plus raw power, but he’s never topped 21 home runs in a single season.

Angels Option Reid Detmers

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The Angels announced to reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) they’ve optioned starter Reid Detmers to Triple-A Salt Lake. Reliever Jimmy Herget heads to the 15-day injured list with a shoulder issue, and the club recalled Oliver Ortega and Elvis Peguero to take their active roster spots.

Detmers’ demotion is the most notable of today’s series of moves, as he heads to the minors for the first time this season. The tenth overall pick in the 2020 draft, the southpaw flew through the minors to reach the big leagues last August. He started five games last year and has opened this season in the rotation, taking the ball 12 times.

The 22-year-old no-hit the Rays on May 10, achieving the rare feat only 11 starts into his big league career. That’s one of two no-hitters thrown in MLB this season (five Mets combined to keep the Phillies out of the hit column in April), but Detmers’ start-to-start consistency has been lacking. He’s only eclipsed five innings on one other occasion, and he’s allowed four-plus earned runs in three of his past five appearances.

Altogether, Detmers owns a 4.66 ERA across 58 innings this season. That’s in spite of opponents hitting only .204 on balls in play against him, and Detmers’ peripherals have been disappointing. He’s struck out 18.6% of batters faced on a meager 8.7% swinging strike rate, with both marks sitting a few points below the respective league averages. The Louisville product has also given up 11 home runs (1.71 per nine innings), and the front office evidently decided it better to give him a reset in a lower-pressure environment.

Inconsistency aside, Detmers is still young enough to be viewed as a potential long-term starter. He’s drawn praise from evaluators for his secondary pitches and strong control, and he reached the majors after just one start with Salt Lake last year. The club could recall him within 15 days (sooner if he’s replacing an injured player), so it’s possible Detmers will be back at Angel Stadium before the All-Star Break.

The timing of his next promotion will be important from a service time perspective. Detmers accrued 64 days of MLB service last year, and he’s picked up around 76 more days this season. Players are credited with a full year of service upon spending 172 days on an MLB roster or injured list, leaving Detmers around the 140-day mark presently. He’ll need to spend around a month more in the big leagues this year to eclipse his first full year of service before the end of the season, which would keep him on track to first reach free agency after the 2027 campaign.

Roster Moves: Twins, Angels, Rockies

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The Twins have activated Kyle Garlick from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, Trevor Megill was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement. The latter move is retroactive to June 16th. Megill has made just eight appearances, but he’s looked good with a 2.08 ERA/2.99 FIP over 13 innings with a 15-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Garlick had been hitting with some pop before he went down. He owns a .250/.324/.567 line with six home runs in 68 plate appearances. He’ll jump back into the mix against southpaws for the Twins. In other moves…

  • The Angels have optioned infielder Jack Mayfield to Triple-A and recalled southpaw Kenny Rosenberg, per the team. Mayfield just joined the club two days ago, and now he’s on his way back to Triple-A. Rosenberg gives them a much-needed fresh arm after yesterday’s doubleheader. The southpaw has made two appearances for the Angles this year, his first two in the bigs, tossing six innings and giving up five earned runs.
  • The Rockies made a trio of roster moves today. Garrett Hampson was activated from the COVID Injured List, Alan Trejo was optioned back to Triple-A, and Tyler Kinley was moved to the 60-day injured list, per Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette (via Twitter). Trejo, 26, has appeared in just 11 games for the Rockies, slashing .231/.250/.333 over 40 plate appearances. Hampson, once a highly-touted prospect, has been unable to establish himself as a cornerstone piece, slashing just .236/.321/.375 over 83 plate appearances.

Angels Select David MacKinnon

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8:15pm: The Angels announced the selection of MacKinnon and corresponding moves. A spot on the active roster was created by right-hander Austin Warren being placed on the 15-day IL with a right triceps strain. To create room on the 40-man roster, Anthony Rendon was transferred to the 60-day injured list. It was reported yesterday that Rendon is set to having season-ending surgery on his wrist, making this transaction an inevitable formality.

7:25pm: Angels manager Phil Nevin tells Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com that the club will select the contract of first baseman David MacKinnon for the second game of today’s doubleheader. He is not currently on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be required.

MacKinnon, 27, was a 32nd round draft pick of the Angels in 2017. He’s never been a highly-touted prospect, having never appeared on the Angels’ prospect lists at either Baseball America or FanGraphs. That’s perhaps due to his age, as he was already 22 by the time he was drafted and 23 by the time he first played a professional game. He also doesn’t offer much on the defensive side of things, as he’s only capable of playing first base. (He did play one game at second base in Double-A last year.)

Nevertheless, he’s earned his way up to the majors due to his skills with the bat. In 334 games over his minor league career, he has a batting line of .294/.413/.462. This year, in Triple-A Salt Lake, he’s walking at an incredible 14.2% rate while striking out just 18.8% of the time. He’s also hit 13 home runs and is slashing .327/.423/.633 for a wRC+ of 156. Based on that tremendous output, the Angels will give him the call to make his MLB debut and see if he can translate any of that to the show.

The Angels have Jared Walsh at first base and Shohei Ohtani as the designated hitter most nights, but both of them are left-handed hitters. Since MacKinnon hits from the right side, he could potentially give either of them a day off when facing a difficult lefty pitcher, in addition to likely taking some pinch-hitting opportunities.

Anthony Rendon To Undergo Season-Ending Wrist Surgery

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6:17PM: The Angels have officially placed Rendon on the 10-day IL, and called up infielder Jack Mayfield from Triple-A.  Rendon will probably be held back from a 60-day IL placement until the Halos have need for an extra 40-man roster spot.

Angels team trainer Mike Frostad also gave reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) some details on Rendon’s status, saying that Rendon will need 4-6 months to recover.  Rendon has a subluxed tendon, and tried to play through the discomfort, though it was known that surgery would eventually be needed to fix the problem.

4:10PM: Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will undergo surgery on his right wrist next week, the team announced.  The procedure will sideline Rendon for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Rendon spent two weeks on the injured list due to soreness in that same wrist earlier this season, and he has missed the last couple of games after re-aggravating the problem.  Angels manager Phil Nevin intimated that Rendon was a pinch-hitting possibility as recently as yesterday, so today’s news comes as an unwelcome surprise, and an indication that further testing revealed a more severe problem with Rendon’s wrist.

This will mark the second straight season cut short by surgery for Rendon, as he underwent a hip procedure last August that prematurely ended his 2021 season.  That year had already been shortened by multiple trips to the IL for groin, knee, and hamstring injuries, with Rendon’s hip ultimately bearing the brunt as he tried to compensate for those other lower-body problems.

Rendon will finish the season with a .228/.324/.383 slash line and five home runs over 188 plate appearances.  While this still works out to above-average offensive production (106 wRC+), it is far below the standard Rendon yet during his heyday with the Nationals, or even in his first Angels season in 2020.  Since the start of the 2021 campaign, Rendon has hit only .235/.327/.383 in 437 PA, and played in only 103 games.

The Angels signed Rendon to a seven-year, $245MM free agent deal in December 2019, and apart from Rendon’s strong performance in the shortened 2020 campaign, this deal is already showing signs of joining the Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Justin Upton contracts in the Angels’ recent history of expensive misfires.  Rendon still has four more years to make good on the deal, of course, but he turned 32 earlier this month and now has two lost seasons under his belt.

Rendon’s injury continues a nightmarish stretch for the Angels.  In possession of a 27-17 record and a playoff berth on May 24, the Halos have since lost 18 of 21 games, including a 14-game losing streak.  Manager Joe Maddon was already fired, and the Angels now face an uphill climb just to break their string of losing seasons, let alone get back into the wild card hunt.  While it is still mid-June and plenty of the season remains, losing Rendon creates yet another hole in an already shaky roster.

Matt Duffy and Tyler Wade figure to handle third base duties in Rendon’s absence, which further weakens second base since that duo and Luis Rengifo were juggling time at the keystone.  David Fletcher was placed on the 60-day IL in the aftermath of adductor surgery, and in a best-case scenario would return around the All-Star break.  Jack Mayfield, Jose Rojas and Kean Wong are also in the organization, but are imperfect solutions to an already-shaky infield picture.  Should the Halos get back into the playoff picture, any of shortstop, second, or third base could be target areas for the trade deadline, depending on who was available and how Anaheim shuffled its other personnel around the diamond.

Injury Notes: Rays, Cubs, Angels

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The Rays placed starter Drew Rasmussen on the 15-day injured list yesterday (retroactive to June 12) with a left hamstring strain. Ralph Garza Jr. was recalled to take his roster spot. The 26-year-old Rasmussen has been solid for Tampa over 12 starts, posting a 3.41 ERA/3.90 FIP across 58 innings. Garza has been a frequent call-up for Kevin Cash’s club, making 11 appearances with a 3.27 ERA/4.64 FIP over 22 innings. He’ll return to his spot in the bullpen for now. Elsewhere around the game…

  • The Cubs placed second baseman Nick Madrigal on the 10-day injured list yesterday with a left groin strain. The move was retroactive to June 12th. The Cubbies were lauded for their acquisition of the 25-year-old, but he has yet to find his stride in Wrigleyville, hitting just .222/.263/.250 through 115 plate appearances. He’s been solid defensively, however, posting 3 DRS without making an error thus far. Veteran Jonathan Villar has taken over at the keystone in Madrigal’s absence, with Andrelton Simmons and rookie Christopher Morel also seeing some run there.
  • The Angels are nearing a decision point about Anthony Rendon, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Rendon has missed four games because of the same wrist that caused him to miss 12 games earlier this month. If he can’t get back in the lineup soon, the Angels won’t have much choice but to put him back on the shelf. A litany of setbacks has kept Rendon from achieving his Nationals form over his three-year tenure with the Angels. So far this season, he was slashing .228/.324/.383, not a bad mark overall (106 wRC+), though still lacking in the power department.
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