Sam Aldegheri

The Angels have announced that they’ve recalled right-hander Walbert Ureña from Triple-A. Lefty Sam Aldegheri is being optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Ureña returns to the big leagues after making two appearances during the club’s season-opening series against the Astros. That was the 22-year-old’s first big-league experience. Though he didn’t allow an earned run in 1 2/3 innings, he surrendered five hits and six unearned runs while also giving up three unintentional walks. He was optioned to Triple-A on March 29 and has since made two starts with a 6.48 ERA. He spent most of 2025 at the Double-A level, where he posted a 4.39 ERA in 27 starts along with an impressive 58.5% groundball rate.

The right-hander was signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2021. He currently ranks as the Halos’ No. 18 prospect according to MLB.com, although his inconsistent command has kept him from becoming a top prospect. Ureña has posted walk rates around 12% in the upper levels of the minors. While his scouting report lauds him for his plus fastball, his secondary pitches haven’t developed to the point where a long-term future as a starter seems possible. Still, he is very young and just debuted this year, so he has plenty of time to prove himself. Whatever his long-term role, Ureña’s success hinges on his ability to keep racking up groundballs while improving his secondary pitches enough to achieve an average strikeout rate.

Aldegheri’s demotion comes after just one appearance for the big-league club this season. He threw 33 pitches in Thursday’s win over the Yankees, striking out two while allowing one run on a solo homer. Since debuting in 2024, the 24-year-old has made a total of eight appearances (five starts) without much success. His 16.2% career strikeout rate puts him right around Ureña’s minor-league numbers, while his 14.2% walk rate is untenable against big-league hitters. Aldegheri had a 3.72 ERA in 23 starts at Double-A last year, but he hasn’t been able to put it together yet at Triple-A or in the majors.

Despite their struggles, both Ureña and Aldegheri should get their share of opportunities with the big-league club this year. The Angels’ bullpen ranks as a bottom-10 unit in the league by fWAR (-0.1) through April 17. The group’s 4.46 ERA ranks 18th in the league, and their 4.72 FIP suggests they’ve been somewhat lucky to achieve that performance. Brent Suter and Sam Bachman have done well, and Ryan Zeferjahn has made up for a subpar 4.82 ERA with stronger peripherals, including a 32.5% strikeout rate. The rest of the arms, including veterans Shaun Anderson and Drew Pomeranz, have struggled. Despite their 11-10 start, the Angels are still in a place where they will prioritize opportunities for young players over immediate contention.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images