Angels Re-Sign Shaun Anderson To Minor League Deal
The Angels announced another minor league deal with Shaun Anderson. He’s back at Triple-A Salt Lake in a non-roster capacity.
Halos fans are familiar with the shuffle at this point. Anderson is out of options and needs to get through waivers every time the Angels want to send him back to Triple-A. They select his contract, keep him on the roster for a few days, then designate him for assignment. He clears waivers, elects free agency, then signs a new minor league deal.
They’ve done this six times over the past two seasons. It’s not unique to the Angels, as the Braves have done the same with Carlos Carrasco all year. Anderson is clearly on board with the arrangement since he continually re-signs. He has gotten into 16 MLB games over the past two seasons as a result, working 28 innings with a 7.71 earned run average.
Anderson’s big league work has come in long relief. He stayed stretched out as a starter in Triple-A last season but has been in more of a swing role this year, starting four of seven appearances. The 31-year-old righty has a 6.35 career ERA at the big league level and a 4.34 mark over eight Triple-A campaigns.
Shaun Anderson Elects Free Agency
Right-hander Shaun Anderson has elected free agency after being sent outright to Triple-A Salt Lake, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after the Angels designated him for assignment a few days ago.
The most likely outcome from here is that Anderson re-signs with the Angels via a new minor league deal. He and the team have been doing this dance for quite a while. Dating back to the start of the 2025 season, Anderson has been selected to the Angels’ roster five times. In each case, after a short amount of time on the roster, he has been designated for assignment. Then he clears waivers, elects free agency and re-signs.
It’s a nice arrangement for the team, as they effectively get an extra pitcher on the roster. They can call on Anderson whenever they need a fresh arm in the bullpen and discard him for the same reason. Since he is out of options, he has to be bumped off the 40-man when removed from the active roster.
For Anderson, he would presumably prefer a more steady big league job. However, the fact that he keeps clearing waivers indicates no club is willing to give him one. With this arrangement, he at least gets sporadic hits of big league pay and service time.
Anderson has 180 big league innings under his belt with a 6.35 earned run average. 28 of those frames have been with the Angels since the start of last season, with Anderson posting a 7.71 ERA in that time. As mentioned, he will probably re-sign with the Angels soon, but he is technically on the market for the time being.
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images
Angels Select Samy Natera
The Angels announced they’ve selected lefty reliever Samy Natera onto the big league roster. He’ll step into the bullpen in place of Shaun Anderson, who has again been designated for assignment.
Natera is up for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old southpaw, a native of Mexico, pitched his college ball at New Mexico State. The Halos drafted him in the 17th round in 2022. Natera spent his first year as a starter, then lost almost of 2024 to injury. Los Angeles moved him to the bullpen a year ago. He showed a high strikeout, high walk profile in Double-A that has carried over at the top minor league level this year.
The 6’4″, 230-pound lefty owns an even 3.00 earned run average across 30 innings this year with Triple-A Salt Lake. He has punched out an excellent 34.4% of opponents but issued walks to more than 14% of batters faced. It’s a typical fastball-slider reliever profile, with Natera averaging 94-95 mph on the heater and sitting in the mid-80s with the breaking ball.
Baseball America has never rated Natera among the top 30 prospects in a weak Halos farm system. However, Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs slotted him 21st in the system last offseason. Gawlowski credits him with a plus slider but noted that a high-effort delivery has given him problems with his control. Natera joins Drew Pomeranz, Brent Suter and Mitch Farris in a rare four-lefty bullpen.
Anderson is off the roster in what has become a familiar routine. The Angels call him up, typically designate him for assignment after an appearance or two, then run him through waivers. He usually elects free agency and immediately re-signs on a minor league deal. His most recent call-up came on Wednesday, but he didn’t make an appearance in that day’s 11-4 blowout win over Colorado. The team was off yesterday. Anderson did get into nine MLB games in March and April, allowing a 5.94 ERA through 16 2/3 innings.
Angels Select Shaun Anderson
The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Shaun Anderson. He’ll take the active roster spot of left-hander Sam Aldegheri, who was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake after last night’s game. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.
Anderson has been bouncing on and off the Halos’ roster for most of the past two years. Since he is out of options, he needs to be removed from the 40-man roster when the Angels want to swap him out for another pitcher. This is the fifth time he has been selected to the roster since the start of 2025. He gives the bullpen a fresh arm and is usually designated for assignment after a few appearances. Each time, he has cleared waivers, elected free agency and then re-signed.
It’s not just the Angels and Anderson who have this kind of arrangement. Carlos Carrasco has been doing a similar thing in Atlanta, ditto Albert Suárez in Baltimore. While those players would probably prefer more stable MLB gigs, the fact that they keep clearing waivers indicates no one is willing to give them that kind of job. In this setup, at least they get sporadic hits of major league pay and service time. The teams, meanwhile, effectively get a 41st man on their 40-man rosters.
Last night, Grayson Rodriguez started for the Angels and only lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight earned runs in the process. Aldegheri came in and pitched 5 1/3 scoreless frames to finish the game, throwing 89 pitches. Since Aldegheri wasn’t going to be available for the next few days, the Angels have added Anderson so that they won’t be short-handed in the bullpen.
Anderson has a 6.35 earned run average in 180 career innings, dating back to his 2019 debut with the Giants. Since the start of 2025, when his run with the Angels began, he has a 7.71 ERA in 28 innings. He’s been throwing four to five innings in his recent minor league appearances, so he gives the club an option for long relief if they need one again in the near future.
As for d’Arnaud, he landed on the 10-day IL on May 7th due to right foot plantar fasciitis. His 60-day count is retroactive to that date, so he’s ineligible to be reinstated until early July. His current status isn’t clear but the Angels evidently don’t expect him back for at least another month.
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images
Angels Re-Sign Shaun Anderson To Minor League Deal
The Angels announced they’ve re-signed righty Shaun Anderson to a minor league contract. He elected free agency on Tuesday after being outrighted off the big league roster.
Anderson and the Angels clearly have a strong relationship. This is the sixth minor league deal upon which they’ve agreed over the last two seasons. The Halos have called him up a few times when they need a long reliever. He’s usually designated for assignment a few days later when they bring up a new fresh arm. Anderson clears waivers, elects free agency, then returns on a new non-roster deal.
The 31-year-old got a little longer run this month. Anderson was on the MLB roster between March 29 and April 26. He made nine appearances and allowed 13 runs (11 earned) over 16 2/3 innings. He punched out 12, issued eight walks, and surrendered a trio of homers. Anderson is up to 28 MLB frames in a Halos uniform with a 7.71 ERA since the start of 2025.
The Florida product spent the majority of last season at Triple-A Salt Lake. He worked out of the rotation and allowed just over six earned runs per nine through 24 appearances. He’ll probably stay stretched out as a starter with the Bees.
Shaun Anderson Elects Free Agency
The Angels announced Tuesday that right-hander Shaun Anderson, who was designated for assignment a few days ago, passed through waivers unclaimed. The Halos outrighted Anderson to Triple-A, but he rejected the assignment (which is his right as a player who has previously been outrighted in the past). He’s elected free agency instead.
Anderson tossed 16 2/3 innings out of the Angels’ bullpen this season. The 31-year-old was hit hard, surrendering 13 runs (11 earned) on 17 hits and eight walks with a dozen strikeouts. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.
That’s now parts of seven seasons in the majors for Anderson, although most of his looks in the majors have been fleeting — as evidenced by the fact that he’s accrued only two-plus years of service in those seven partial seasons. The 2016 third-rounder (Red Sox) has a career 6.35 ERA with a subpar 16.7% strikeout rate against a solid but unspectacular 8.8% walk rate. His slider and changeup have both graded as plus pitches at various points in the past, but not much from Anderson’s arsenal has generated positive results in recent seasons.
Anderson had a solid run with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kia Tigers in 2023 and posted very strong minor league numbers between the Triple-A affiliates for the Rangers and Marlins in 2024 (3.00 ERA, 23.4 K%, 5.9 BB%). He spent the bulk of the 2025 season in the Angels’ Triple-A rotation and was tagged for a 6.02 ERA in 23 starts (plus one bullpen outing). That rough season skewed his career line in Triple-A, but Anderson still carries a 4.35 ERA in 428 2/3 innings at that level, even with last year’s 6.02 mark in 116 2/3 frames.
Angels Designate Jordan Romano For Assignment, Select Joey Lucchesi
The Angels announced a series of moves before Sunday’s matchup against the Royals, the most notable of which was designating closer Jordan Romano for assignment. The club selected left-hander Joey Lucchesi to take his spot. Right-hander Shaun Anderson was also designated for assignment, and righty Jose Fermin was recalled. On the hitting side, catcher Logan O’Hoppe was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured wrist. Sebastian Rivero had his contract selected to replace O’Hoppe.
Injuries to Ben Joyce, Robert Stephenson, and Kirby Yates thrust Romano into the closer role to begin the year. He initially excelled as the preferred 9th inning option, picking up four saves over six scoreless appearances to open the campaign. Romano permitted just two baserunners during that stretch, both coming via walk.
The wheels came off from there. Romano had a disastrous series against the Yankees that included five earned runs, two blown saves, and only one out recorded. He briefly recovered in two lower-leverage outings, then blew up for four earned runs in a blowout against the Royals on Saturday. Romano was pulled mid-inning for infielder Adam Frazier.
Romano emerged as one of the top closers in the game with the Blue Jays. He piled up 95 saves from 2021 to 2023, earning a pair of All-Star selections. Elbow injuries ruined his 2024 season, and he’s never been the same since then. Romano had an 8.23 ERA for the Phillies last year. He came to the Angels on a modest one-year, $2MM deal. His time with the team is over after just eight innings.
Lucchesi joined the organization in late March after getting released by the Giants. He ended up breaking camp with the Angels. The veteran lefty allowed a pair of earned runs over three appearances. He walked four and struck out two across 2 1/3 innings. Lucchesi was designated for assignment and elected free agency in early April, but returned to the organization on a minor league deal.
Fermin was up and down with the big league club for the majority of 2025. He put together a mid-4.00s ERA with a solid 25.7% strikeout rate across 40 appearances. Fermin has a big fastball, but control has been an issue. The righty posted a hefty 15.1% walk rate in 34 1/3 innings.
Anderson was knocked around for 11 earned runs in nine appearances out of the bullpen. The 31-year-old was similarly ineffective during his time with the club last year. He did not break camp with the team, but was in the majors before the end of March. Lucchesi will likely step into Anderson’s multi-inning role.
O’Hoppe was pulled from Saturday’s contest due to what was initially described as wrist irritation. He took a foul tip off the wrist in the seventh inning, but did stay in to finish the frame. Travis d’Arnaud replaced him in the eighth inning. The veteran d’Arnaud will likely assume the majority of the reps behind the plate, with Rivero backing him up.
Rivero appeared in 11 games for the Angels last season. He’s hit .172 in 107 MLB plate appearances. Before his brief stint with Los Angeles in 2025, Rivero hadn’t been in the big leagues since 2022 with the Royals. Kansas City signed him as an international free agent in 2015. After a slow ascent through the system, he reached the majors as a 22-year-old in 2021. Rivero hasn’t been even a league-average bat since his Rookie ball days, but he’s earned passable marks as a defender in his time as a big leaguer.
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
Angels Select Shaun Anderson
The Angels announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Shaun Anderson. In a corresponding move, right-hander Victor Mederos was designated for assignment.
Anderson, 31, is entering what will be his 7th season as a big leaguer. A third-round pick by the Red Sox in 2016, he didn’t make his big league debut until 2019, at which point he was a member of the Giants after being part of the return for the Eduardo Nunez trade. Anderson came up to the majors as a swing man and struggled somewhat, with a lackluster 5.44 ERA in 96 innings of work. He moved to the bullpen full-time after that, and while he pitched to a solid 3.52 ERA in 18 appearances during the abbreviated 2020 season, questionable peripherals left his role uncertain headed into 2021.
Ultimately, Anderson didn’t even make it onto the Giants roster that year. He was traded to the Twins in the LaMonte Wade Jr. deal and spent the rest of the year riding the waiver wire. Ultimately, he split time between the Twins, Orioles, and Padres during the 2021 campaign and pitched to a rough 8.49 ERA across 23 1/3 innings during that rollercoaster year. He’s pitched just 28 2/3 innings total at the big league level since then, splitting time between the Jays, Rangers, Angels, and Marlins to post a 9.42 ERA across 14 outings.
The right-hander doesn’t have the most exciting profile as a big leaguer, to say the least. His career 6.39 ERA in 163 1/3 innings of work is certainly lackluster, and a 4.35 ERA at the Triple-A level for his career doesn’t offer much reason for further excitement. A 14-game stint in the KBO did yield some interesting results, as he pitched to a 3.76 ERA in 14 starts, but that was three years ago now and it’s hard to see that as indicative of future stateside success at this point. Still, he could help contribute to an Angels pitching staff that will need help covering innings with Grayson Rodriguez, Alek Manoah, Kirby Yates, Robert Stephenson, and Ben Joyce all opening the season on the injured list.
Making room for Anderson on the 40-man roster is Mederos. A sixth-round pick by the Angels back in 2022, the club wasted no time in promoting him to the majors, allowing him to make his big league debut the following year. Despite his quick rise to the big leagues, Mederos was never quite able to stick at the level. He has just 25 1/3 innings across 12 appearances in the show, and during that time he’s looked completely over-matched with an 8.52 ERA and a 6.95 FIP. A career 3.96 ERA in 20 career starts at the Triple-A level offers a bit more room for optimism about his long-term prospects, and Mederos won’t turn 25 until June. That wasn’t enough to save his roster spot with the Angels, but perhaps another club will be intrigued enough by his profile to take him on as a more of a long-term project. If Mederos passes through waivers unclaimed, the Angels will have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues as non-roster depth for their pitching staff.
Angels Re-Sign Shaun Anderson To Minor League Deal
The Angels re-signed righty Shaun Anderson to a minor league deal (h/t to Matt Eddy of Baseball America). The MiLB.com transaction log indicates the deal was agreed upon shortly before the New Year.
Anderson is back in the organization after bouncing on and off the roster in 2025. He worked out of the rotation at Triple-A Salt Lake for the majority of the season. Anderson took the ball 24 times and tossed 116 2/3 innings of 6.02 ERA ball in the Pacific Coast League. He had a below-average 16.7% strikeout rate but generally avoided walks and did a decent job keeping the ball in the park in the minors.
The Halos called upon the 31-year-old a couple times when they needed an extra arm to work in long relief. Anderson made seven appearances over scattered MLB stints. He was tagged for six homers in 11 1/3 innings, allowing 13 runs in the process.
Anderson has pitched in the big leagues in six of the last seven years. He owns a 6.39 ERA over 163 1/3 frames. He spent the ’23 season in Korea as a member of the Kia Tigers and owns a 4.35 earned run average over parts of seven Triple-A campaigns. He’ll head back to Salt Lake as rotation depth.
Players Entering Minor League Free Agency
Major League free agents became eligible to sign with other teams on Thursday, but the minor league free agent market has technically been open since season’s end. MLBTR has published several posts detailing players who had already elected to become minor free agents, but Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (multiple links) has the full account of all the minor league free agents that officially joined their big league counterparts on the open market on Thursday.
This list details only players who have played in the Major Leagues, and whose minor league free agency hasn’t already been covered on MLBTR in the last month.
Athletics: Aaron Brooks, Carlos Duran, CD Pelham, Bryan Lavastida, Nick Martini, Alejo Lopez
Braves: Ian Anderson, Davis Daniel, Enoli Paredes, Amos Willingham, Brian Moran, Jonathan Ornelas, Chandler Seagle, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel
Orioles: Jakson Reetz, Livan Soto, Thaddeus Ward
Red Sox: John Brebbia, Isaiah Campbell, Mark Kolozsvary, Chadwick Tromp, Seby Zavala, Trayce Thompson
Cubs: Yency Almonte, Zach Pop, Caleb Kilian, Austin Gomber, Forrest Wall, Billy Hamilton, Joe Ross, Tommy Romero, Antonio Santos, Tom Cosgrove, Dixon Machado, Nicky Lopez, Carlos Perez
White Sox: Elvis Peguero, Kyle Tyler, Vinny Capra, Chris Rodriguez, Caleb Freeman, Joe Perez, Owen White, Andre Lipcius
Reds: Tejay Antone, Alan Busenitz, Buck Farmer, Josh Staumont, P.J. Higgins, Eric Yang, Levi Jordan, Edwin Rios, Davis Wendzel, Evan Kravetz, Adam Plutko, Charlie Barnes, Alex Young
Guardians: Riley Pint, Tyler Naquin, Parker Mushinski
Rockies: Xzavion Curry, Sean Bouchard, Owen Miller, Karl Kauffmann,
Tigers: Kevin Newman, Brian Serven, Jordan Balazovic, Nick Margevicius, Blair Calvo
Astros: Jon Singleton, Joe Hudson, Kenedy Corona, Greg Jones, Matt Bowman, Luis Contreras, Tyler Ivey, John Rooney
Royals: John Gant, Spencer Turnbull, Bobby Dalbec, Diego Castillo, Geoff Hartlieb, Jordan Groshans, Nick Pratto, Isan Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Nick Robertson, Joey Krehbiel, Noah Murdock, Ryan Hendrix
Angels: Shaun Anderson, Brandon Drury, Yolmer Sanchez, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Cavan Biggio, Logan Davidson, Travis Blankenhorn, Oscar Colas, Kelvin Caceres, Dakota Hudson, Chad Stevens, Angel Felipe, Jordan Holloway, Victor Gonzalez
Dodgers: Michael Grove, Luken Baker, Giovanny Gallegos, Kyle Funkhouser, Chris Okey, CJ Alexander, Zach Penrod
Marlins: Jack Winkler, Lane Ramsey
Brewers: Luis Urias, Oliver Dunn, Julian Merryweather, Daz Cameron, Drew Avans, Josh Maciejewski, Jared Oliva
Twins: Jose Miranda, Anthony Misiewicz, Jonah Bride, Thomas Hatch, Daniel Duarte, Connor Gillispie
Mets: Joey Meneses, Jose Azocar, Joe La Sorsa, Gilberto Celestino, Ty Adcock, Bryce Montes de Oca, Yacksel Rios, Oliver Ortega, Luis De Los Santos
Yankees: Kenta Maeda, Jeimer Candelario, Rob Brantly, Andrew Velazquez, Jose Rojas, Joel Kuhnel, Wilking Rodriguez
Phillies: Matt Manning, Adonis Medina, Lucas Sims, Jacob Waguespack, Phil Bickford, Rodolfo Castro, Oscar Mercado, Brewer Hicklen, Christian Arroyo, Payton Henry
Pirates: Brett Sullivan, Nick Solak, Nelson Velazquez, Beau Burrows, Ryder Ryan
Cardinals: Zach Plesac, Anthony Veneziano, Tyler Matzek, Zack Weiss, Drew Rom, Aaron Wilkerson
Padres: Eguy Rosario, Tim Locastro, Reiss Knehr, Nate Mondou
Giants: Sean Hjelle, Miguel Diaz, Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Cole Waites, Drew Ellis, Ethan Small
Mariners: Michael Fulmer, Casey Lawrence, Collin Snider, Jesse Hahn, Nick Anderson, Josh Fleming, Austin Shenton, Jacob Nottingham, Beau Taylor, Cade Marlowe, Jack Lopez, Michael Mariot, Hagen Danner
Rays: Cooper Hummel, Jonathan Hernandez, Jamie Westbrook, Tres Barrera
Rangers: Omar Narvaez, Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach, Alan Trejo, Joe Barlow, Cory Abbott, Michael Plassmeyer, Alex De Goti
Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez, Buddy Kennedy, Joe Mantiply, Elieser Hernandez, Rene Pinto, Adam Kloffenstein
Nationals: Francisco Mejia, Juan Yepez, Joan Adon, CJ Stubbs, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Delino DeShields