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Kenny Rosenberg

KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Sign Kenny Rosenberg

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The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced their trio of foreign-born players for the 2025 season. The Heroes signed outfielders Yasiel Puig ($1MM) and Ruben Cardenas ($450K salary with $150K in incentives) and left-hander Kenny Rosenberg ($700K salary with $100K in incentives). The deals were relayed (on X) by Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net.

Rosenberg is the only one of the trio who appeared in the majors in 2024. The 29-year-old southpaw pitched in seven games for the Angels, allowing an even 6.00 ERA across 24 innings. It was the third straight season in which Rosenberg made a handful of appearances for the Halos. He worked as a depth option for the rotation or low-leverage relief and combined for a 4.66 mark over 67 2/3 frames.

Los Angeles released Rosenberg within the first few days of the offseason. This will be the first overseas stint for the Cal State Northridge product. Rosenberg had previously split his eight-year professional career between the Rays and Angels organizations. He has a solid Triple-A track record. Over parts of five seasons at the top minor league level, he carries a 4.10 ERA while striking out a quarter of opposing hitters.

Puig hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2019. He played the 2022 season in Korea with the Heroes. Puig spent the ’24 campaign in Mexico. Cardenas spent most of this this year in Triple-A. He divided his time between the Rays’ and Phillies’ systems but didn’t get a big league call. He signed with the KBO’s Samsung Lions late in the year but only made seven appearances. The Cal State Fullerton product should get a more significant opportunity for the Heroes.

Angels Select Scott Kingery, Release Kenny Rosenberg

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The Angels added recently acquired infielder Scott Kingery to their 40-man roster. The Halos released left-hander Kenny Rosenberg in a corresponding move.

Los Angeles acquired Kingery from Philadelphia over the weekend. They would not have done so if they weren’t planning to add him to the roster, as the infielder would otherwise have reached minor league free agency today. The 30-year-old former top prospect has only appeared in one big league game since 2021. He’s coming off a decent showing with Philadelphia’s top affiliate in Lehigh Valley, hitting .268/.318/.488 with 25 homers and stolen bases apiece.

Rosenberg, a 29-year-old swingman, has pitched in 17 MLB contests across the last three years. He owns a 4.66 earned run average. The Cal State Northridge product had a decent year with Triple-A Salt Lake, working to a 4.21 ERA through 115 1/3 innings in the Pacific Coast League. He punched out 21.5% of opponents against a tidy 7.8% walk percentage.

Angels To Promote Jack Kochanowicz

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The Angels are calling up right-hander Jack Kochanowicz to start Thursday’s game, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register on X. The righty is already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. The Halos announced that righty Davis Daniel has been optioned to Triple-A with lefty Kenny Rosenberg recalled to take Daniel’s spot tonight. A move will be required to get Kochanowicz onto the roster tomorrow, which might just be Rosenberg getting optioned back down, depending on what happens in tonight’s contest.

Kochanowicz, 23, was a third-round pick of the Halos in the 2019 draft. He didn’t pitch in the affiliated ranks in the months following that selection and then the minors were wiped out by the pandemic in 2020, delaying his professional debut.

He has since been working his way through the system with a grounder-heavy approach. He has thrown 326 innings in the minors to this point in his career with a 5.44 earned run average. His 19.1% strikeout rate in that time is subpar but he’s limited walks to a 7% clip and has had strong ground ball rates at every stop so far. Major league average is at 42.4% this year but Kochanowicz has been between 48 and 63% at every stop of his career so far. His .317 batting average on balls in play and 61.4% strand rate are both a bit on the unlucky side, so perhaps he’ll be able to have some better results with stronger defenders behind him.

Kochanowicz was added to the Angels’ 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America and FanGraphs both currently list him as the club’s 13th-best prospect, highlighting his high-90s velocity. MLB Pipeline is a bit more bullish and has him up in the #7 slot while Keith Law of The Athletic had him in the #12 spot coming into the year.

The Angels recently lost Patrick Sandoval to season-ending surgery while guys like Reid Detmers, Chase Silseth and Zach Plesac have struggled and been optioned to Triple-A, with Daniel now in that pile as well. The rotation currently consists of Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning, José Soriano and Roansy Contreras. Kochanowicz will take the ball tomorrow, though it’s unclear if it’s just a spot start or if he’ll get a lengthy rotation audition. He still hasn’t pitched at Triple-A but the Halos will skip him over that level for now. With the All-Star break next week, they could survive with a four-man rotation for a time and call someone else up to take the fifth spot once needed.

It’s possible that the Angels will make some trades at this year’s deadline that thin out that group. The club is 37-54 and clearly in seller mode going into the deadline. Their farm system is poorly regarded, which will perhaps make it tough to contend in the seasons to come. That should leave the front office open to considering trades of players even if they have some club control beyond the current campaign. Anderson has one year left on his deal, for instance, while Canning has one year of arbitration remaining.

Some recent reporting has suggested that the club prefers to hold onto Anderson, Canning and other players with similar windows of control, though it’s possible that’s posturing for negotiation purposes. The trade deadline is July 30.

Angels Designate Jacob Webb For Assignment

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The Angels have designated right-hander Jacob Webb for assignment, per a team announcement. Left-hander Kenny Rosenberg was selected to the roster in a corresponding move. J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register was first with the news.

Webb, 30 later this month, made his MLB debut with the Braves back in 2019. Over 32 1/3 innings in his debut season, Webb impressed with a 1.39 ERA, though a roughly league average 4.30 FIP indicated some good fortune baked into those results. His ratios normalized somewhat over his next two seasons of work with the Braves, as he posted a 3.25 ERA and 3.76 FIP in 42 appearances between the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

That solid track record seemed to leave Webb poised to play a role in the Atlanta bullpen as a useful relief arm with options remaining, but he struggled badly in the minors during the 2022 campaign, with a 6.06 ERA in 35 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level as Webb was shuffled between the Braves and Diamondbacks organizations. That performance led to him being outrighted off the club’s roster in June, allowing him to elect free agency last November. Shortly thereafter, Webb inked a minors deal with the Angels, bringing him to his third organization of the calendar year. He was selected to the major league roster back in May and pitched fairly well in 29 appearances with the Angels this season, posting a 3.98 ERA in 31 2/3 innings of work, though his walk rate, which stood at a 9.6% figure for his career entering the 2023 campaign, spiked to a concerning 14.3%.

Going forward, the Angels will have seven days to waive or release Webb. In the event he clears waivers, the Angels will have the opportunity to outright Webb to Triple-A, though as a player previously outrighted in his career he’ll have the opportunity to reject that assignment and test free agency. While the command issues Webb has faced this season are certainly cause for concern, the right-hander could nonetheless be an interesting option for a team looking to add to their bullpen depth.

Webb’s roster spot will go to Rosenberg, a 28-year-old southpaw who made his MLB debut with the Angels last year, tossing 10 2/3 innings with a 4.22 ERA and 4.52 FIP. This will be Rosenberg’s first appearance in the big leagues this season, as he’s operated as a starter at the Triple-A level to this point in the season. His 4.93 ERA certainly leaves something to be desired, but that figure is inflated by the heightened offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. Rosenberg has punched out 27.8% of the batters he’s faced this season while walking 10.7%. He figures to be a multi-inning relief option for the Angels going forward, a role he’ll share with Jaime Barria.

Angels Sign Justin Garza, Designate Kenny Rosenberg

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December 19: The Angels announced that Rosenberg has been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. He’ll stick with the organization but without occupying a roster spot.

December 12: The Angels announced that they have signed right-hander Justin Garza to a one-year, non-guaranteed split contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Kenny Rosenberg has been designated for assignment.

Garza, 29 in March, has spent his entire career in the Cleveland organization up until now, having been drafted by them in the eighth round back in 2015. He made it up to the big leagues in 2021, tossing 28 2/3 innings in 21 games. He posted a 4.71 ERA in that time along with a 22.7% strikeout rate, 14.1% walk rate and 36.7% ground ball rate.

Garza was outrighted at the end of that season but cleared waivers and stuck with the club for 2022. He spent all of this year in Triple-A, logging 42 2/3 innings with 4.64 ERA. That mark isn’t especially impressive, but he did strike out 28.7% of batters faced. His 10.9% walk rate was a tad high but was actually a step in the right direction relative to his 14.1% rate in the big leagues and 15.1% rate in the minors in 2021. Whether that control was a factor or not, the Angels liked what they saw in Garza enough to give him a spot on the 40-man.

As for Rosenberg, he was drafted by the Rays but came to the Angels a year ago in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. He was selected to the club’s roster in April and spent the season getting shuttled between the majors and minors. In 10 2/3 big league innings, he posted a 4.22 ERA, getting strikeouts on 17% of batters faced while walking 12.8%. He fared much better on the farm, tossing 68 2/3 frames with a 3.54 ERA, 23.3% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. The Angels will now have one week to trade Rosenberg or else put him on waivers.

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 Place David Fletcher On 15-Day Injured List Due To Hip Strain

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The Angels announced a set of roster moves today, including the placement of middle infielder David Fletcher on the 15-day injured list with a left hip strain.  Lefty Kenny Rosenberg was optioned to Triple-A, and outfielder Jose Rojas was placed on the injured list for an unspecified reason, implying a COVID-19 issue.  Joining the active roster are outfielder Aaron Whitefield (as reported earlier today) and infielder Luis Rengifo.

This is already the second time Fletcher has been sidelined by a hip strain this season, and he will be visiting a specialist on Monday to determine the extent of the problem.  Fletcher received cortisone shots during his first IL stint, and while the problem “hasn’t really gotten worse, it just wasn’t as good as we thought the injection would make it,” he told reporters, including Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times.  A next step won’t be known until Fletcher’s doctor visit, and it is possible surgery might be required.  Fletcher is hopeful that such a procedure wouldn’t put his season in jeopardy, as “hopefully I’ll get it fixed and be back pretty soon.”

The Halos have become pretty accustomed to playing without Fletcher thus far in 2022, though Matt Duffy’s ongoing presence on the COVID-related injured list will further complicate matters.  Rengifo’s call-up will give the Angels an extra infielder to join Tyler Wade, Andrew Velazquez, and Jack Mayfield in juggling the second base and shortstop duties.

While Anaheim may have enough offense in the rest of the lineup to get by with more of a defensive focus up the middle, it does make for an imperfect situation even if Fletcher is able to return.  Fletcher (understandably) hasn’t hit much in his limited playing time this season, and batted only .262/.297/.324 over 665 plate appearances in 2021.  It was a big step backwards from Fletcher’s very impressive 120 OPS+/122 wRC+ performance in the shortened 2020 campaign, or even his closer-to-league average numbers in 2019.  If Fletcher does require surgery and need to miss a good chunk of the remaining season, the middle infield would seem like a natural trade deadline target area for the Angels if they remain in contention.

Angels Select Kenny Rosenberg, Outright Brian Moran

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Apr. 21: The Angels announced that Moran has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Apr. 18: The Angels announced this evening they’ve selected left-hander Kenny Rosenberg onto the major league roster. Fellow southpaw Brian Moran has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

It’s the first major league call for the 26-year-old Rosenberg. Selected by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2016 draft out of Cal State Northridge, he spent five seasons in the Tampa Bay farm system. The 6’1″ hurler pitched his way as high as Triple-A Durham, where he tossed 30 2/3 innings across 14 relief appearances last season. Rosenberg posted a 2.35 ERA with an excellent 35% strikeout rate against the minors’ top hitters, but the Rays didn’t give him a big league look.

Tampa Bay also declined to protect Rosenberg from the minor league phase of last winter’s Rule 5 draft. The Angels selected him with the eighth pick in that process, and he impressed the front office enough this spring to put himself on the radar for a quick big league call. He has made just one appearance with Triple-A Salt Lake this season, working four innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts and two walks.

Rosenberg worked as starting pitcher up through Double-A in 2019. He spent most of last season in the bullpen but started his aforementioned lone appearance with the Bees thus far in 2022. Presumably, he’ll step into a multi-inning relief role for manager Joe Maddon, pairing with offseason signee Aaron Loup as the left-handed options in the middle innings.

Moran occupied that second lefty relief spot last week, heading to the majors eight days ago when the Halos lost José Quijada to an oblique strain. The 33-year-old made just one appearance, though, allowing four of five Rangers’ hitters he faced to reach base on Thursday. That was his first MLB appearance since he came out of the bullpen seven times between the Marlins and Blue Jays in 2020. The Angels have a week to trade Moran or place him on waivers.

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