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Several Angels Players Reportedly Drawing Trade Interest

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According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Angels have received trade interest on several of their controllable players this offseason. Infielder Luis Rengifo, catcher Matt Thaiss, left-hander Jose Suarez as well as outfielders Taylor Ward and Mickey Moniak are all pieces who have reportedly been asked after to this point in the winter.

That clubs would see the Angels as a potential trade partner is hardly a surprise. With Shohei Ohtani having departed the club in favor of Chavez Ravine, the club figures to be all but forced to begin a significant retool of their roster if they hope to improve upon their consecutive 73-win campaigns in 2022 and ’23 even after parting ways with the most valuable player in the sport.

While that could see the club dabble in the free agent market, where they’ve been connected to left-hander Blake Snell and veteran slugger J.D. Martinez recently, it seems unlikely the club would be able to completely retool their roster just through free agency even as RosterResource projects the club for a payroll of just $153MM next season, more than $60MM below their payroll in 2023. As such, it’s hardly a surprise that the Angels would consider exploring the trade market, particularly given reports earlier this month that they have been aggressive in their pursuit of starting pitching via trade.

With all that being said, each of the rumored players garnering interest are controllable, inexpensive pieces who could prove key to Anaheim’s hopes of contending in 2024 and beyond. According to Rosenthal, the club’s willingness to deal any of the aforementioned players could hinge on the willingness of ownership to spend to replace the outgoing talent on the open market. It’s possible that between money spent on a replacement and the trade return the club could receive for their controllable talent, the Angels could improve their overall outlook even by trading away a fairly key piece in their current 2024 outlook.

Rengifo, 27 in February, is coming off the best season of his career in 2023. After entering the All Star break with a mediocre .219/.312/.326 slash line, the switch-hitter caught fire down the stretch with a .318/.374/.587 the rest of the way until his season came to an end due to a torn biceps tendon that ended up requiring surgery. With Rengifo expected to be ready for Spring Training, however, it’s easy to see why rival clubs would be interested in his services. Overall, Rengifo posted a solid 114 wRC+ while playing passable defense all around the diamond, with time spent at second base, third base, shortstop, and all three outfield spots over the course of the 2023 season. That positional flexibility paired with a solid bat would make Rengifo a worthwhile addition for most any team, and the fact that he can be controlled for two seasons surely makes him all the more enticing for rival clubs, and the presence of Brandon Drury could allow the Angels to replace Rengifo at the keystone fairly seamlessly.

Thaiss and Suarez, on the other hand, are not quite as obviously enticing as Rengifo. Thaiss slashed just .214/.319/.340 overall last season in 307 trips to the plate while posting average defensive marks behind the plate, while Suarez missed most of 2024 with shoulder issues and struggled to a 9.62 ERA in six starts prior to that trip to the IL.  With that being said, each could nonetheless be of interest to clubs.

Catching depth is always something clubs are on the hunt for, and Thaiss offers an average bat and glove for the role with enough offensive potential that he could even have further upside as a tandem catching option should his offense take a step forward at some point. Thaiss also bats left-handed, making him a potentially useful pinch-hitter off the bench on days where he isn’t catching. Suarez, meanwhile, was an extremely valuable lefty swingman for the Angels in 2021 and ’22, with a 3.86 ERA across 207 1/3 innings of work. Given the fact that Suarez and Thaiss are controllable for three and four more seasons respectively, they’d be affordable options for clubs in need of a catcher or flexible pitcher who can throw from the left side.

It’s easy to see why Ward and Moniak would be attractive to rival clubs, but they may be difficult for the Halos to part with this offseason. Ward has become one of the club’s steadiest offensive producers in recent years, with a .265/.349/.446 slash line in 297 games since the start of the 2021 campaign. Ward is likely penciled in for everyday duty in one of the outfield corners not only for 2024, but for seasons to come, as he won’t be a free agent until after the 2026 campaign. Moniak, meanwhile, enjoyed a breakout season in his first full season as an Angel in 2023, slashing a respectable .280/.307/.495 with a wRC+ of 114 in 85 games. Moniak is also the club’s best option in center field besides Mike Trout, who has dealt with injuries more and more frequently in recent years and may benefit from additional rest in the form of occasional DH starts as he stares down his 33rd birthday in August.

In terms of the potential return headed to Anaheim should any of these players be dealt, it’s easy to assume the club would focus on bolstering their pitching staff in any deal. The club posted a respectable 101 wRC+ as a team in 2023, and while that includes the incredible production of Ohtani, its fair to point out that healthy seasons from the likes of Trout and Ward as well as continued development from key youngsters like Nolan Schanuel, Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto could all help the club make up for some of Ohtani’s lost production.

By contrast, the team posted an ERA of just 4.64 in 2023 even with Ohtani contributing 132 innings of 3.14 ERA baseball. The rest of the club’s rotation was essentially league average, with Patrick Sandoval’s 4.11 ERA (109 ERA+) leading the pack. Meanwhile, the club’s bullpen posted a disastrous 4.88 ERA that ranked bottom-six in the majors last year. Given those massive shortcomings, the addition of impactful pitching talent figures to be the Halos’ best hope of getting Trout back to the postseason for the first time since 2014.

Angels Notes: O’Hoppe, Ohtani, Ward

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The Angels have been without top catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe since he suffered a torn labrum in late April, with a timetable for return of 4-6 months. Fortunately for the Halos, however, O’Hoppe appears to be on track to return at the early end of that timeframe, as the backstop told reporters (including The Athletic’s Sam Blum) that he’s set to go out on a rehab assignment next week. MLB.com adds that O’Hoppe is likely to require a maximum-length rehab assignment of 20 days as he attempts to build back up to game shape, though that should still line him up to make his return to the Angels before the calendar flips to September.

With fellow catcher Max Stassi having spent the entire season on the shelf due to hip issues, O’Hoppe’s injury has meant the Angels have relied on a catching tandem of Matt Thaiss and Chad Wallach throughout most of the 2023 campaign. That duo has allowed the club to maintain roughly league average performance behind the plate, as Angels catchers this season rank 16th in the majors with 1.4 fWAR while their wRC+ of 95 ranks 11th. O’Hoppe, who was a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport entering the season and slashed an impressive .283/.339/.547 (138 wRC+) in 59 trips to the plate prior to his injury, figures to provide the Angels with a major boost as they head into the stretch run of the 2023 campaign.

More from the Angels…

  • Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is expected to make his regularly scheduled start on Wednesday against the Giants, as noted by J.P. Hoornstra of The Orange County Register. That’s surely a relief for Angels fans, given Ohtani exited his most recent start after just four innings due to finger cramping. It’s been another sensational season for Ohtani in 2023, as he seems to be the clear favorite to earn his second AL MVP award with free agency on the horizon following the 2023 campaign. On the mound, Ohtani has pitched to a 3.32 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 21 starts with a 31.8% strikeout rate, while he’s slashed .310/.413/.683 with an MLB-leading 40 home runs in 489 trips to the plate.
  • Outfielder Taylor Ward saw his regular season likely come to an end last week when he was placed on the 60-day IL with facial fractures after being struck in the face by a sinker from Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah. Today, Angels brass provided on update on Ward’s condition, with manager Phil Nevin confirming that the outfielder underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair his left orbital bone and insert internal splints into his nose, per Hoornstra. While the loss of Ward is a major blow to the Angels in 2023, Nevin emphasized that the club “got the best news possible” regarding Ward’s condition as he appeared to avoid any damage to his vision. While ward, who slashed .278/.368/.500 from June 1 onward after a slow start to the season, is seemingly done for the regular season, a potential return in the postseason has not been ruled out, should the Angels manage to make it there.

Angels Acquire Randal Grichuk, C.J. Cron From Rockies

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The Angels have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from the Rockies, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link).  Right-hander Jake Madden and left-hander Mason Albright will be headed to the Rockies.  The Angels have officially announced the deal, adding that they will also receive some cash considerations in return.  Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that infielder Kevin Padlo has been designated for assignment and Taylor Ward has been shifted to the 60-day injured list to create some space on the Angels’ roster.

The four-player swap is the latest move in what has been already been a busy month for an Angels team determined to contend.  With Shohei Ohtani possibly departing in free agency after the season, the Angels are desperate to make the playoffs, and have added Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Eduardo Escobar, and Mike Moustakas in other trades to address roster needs.

Tonight’s trade also brings a pair of familiar faces back to Anaheim.  Cron was selected 17th overall by the Angels in the 2011 draft, and he spent his first four Major League seasons with the club.  The Halos had back-to-back picks in the first round of the 2009 draft and notably picked Grichuk 24th (one selection ahead of Mike Trout), but Grichuk never saw any MLB action for Anaheim, as he was dealt to the Cardinals as part of the November 2013 trade that brought David Freese to the Angels.

Colorado’s tendency to try and retain players it particularly likes in free agency has created some doubt about obvious trade candidates in the past, but on paper, Grichuk and Cron both looked like clear candidates to be moved prior to Tuesday’s deadline.  Grichuk is in the last year of the original five-year, $53MM extension he signed with the Blue Jays back in 2019, and about $3.11MM remains in owed salary before the end of the season.  Cron is in the final year of his own extension with the Rockies, and has roughly $2.42MM still owed in 2023 salary.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the cash considerations from the Rockies amount to $2MM, thus putting approximately $3.53MM extra onto the Angels’ books.  This puts Los Angeles a bit further over the $233MM luxury tax threshold, as the Halos look poised to pay the tax for the first time since 2004 (the first year of Arte Moreno’s ownership).  The actual dollar value of a first-time tax penalty is pretty minor, but it does underscore the Angels’ commitment to finally ending their string of losing seasons and non-playoff baseball.

This desire to win has been hampered by a number of significant injuries up and down the roster, so in a sense the Angels have had to be aggressive just in order to patch holes.  Grichuk has experience at all three outfield positions, but figures to mostly play left field in place of Ward, whose season is probably over after he suffered facial fractures after a scary hit-by-pitch incident in Saturday’s game.  In the best-case scenario, Ward is able to fully recover and get back to the lineup by late September, just in time to be available for what the Halos hope will be some playoff baseball.

Once Mike Trout returns from his hamate surgery and Jo Adell returns from his oblique strain, the Angels might even have an outfield surplus, considering that Ohtani has the DH spot locked up.  Still, that’s a problem Los Angeles will happily face down the road if it means their lineup is finally back at something resembling full strength.

Grichuk is enjoying one of his best seasons at the plate, hitting .308/.365/.498 with eight homers over 263 plate appearances after missing most of April recovering from offseason surgery for a sports hernia.  Turning 32 years old in a couple of weeks, Grichuk’s career hasn’t lived up to his first-round potential, as his propensity for strikeouts and an inconsistent overall offensive profile has limited his production.  From 2019-22, Grichuk had only a 90 wRC+ over 1942 PA and totaled 1.8 fWAR, with a sub-replacement -0.2 mark in 2022.

It’s far from certain that Grichuk has turned a corner, as his .367 BABIP and some significant home/road splits are warning signs that some regression is inevitable once Grichuk is out of Coors Field.  That said, at a relatively low acquisition cost and a pressing need for offense, it is a risk the Angels are willing to take.

Cron figures to step right in as a regular first baseman, possibly solidifying a position that has been a revolving door all season in Anaheim.  It remains to be seen how the rest of the field might shake out once the injured players start returning, but for now, Moustakas will probably take most of the time at third base while Escobar plays second.  Zach Neto will presumably remain the regular shortstop unless he also needs to visit the IL after missing a few games with back soreness.  Brandon Drury might be back from the 10-day IL within the next week, further bolstering the infield ranks and maybe moving Cron into a part-time role.

Cron has himself been dealing with a bad back, both within the last week and in the form of a trip to the injured list earlier this season that cost hm about six weeks of action.  The 33-year-old has hit .260/.304/.476 with 11 homers in 224 PA, and Cron’s 93 wRC+ puts him on pace for his first below-average offensive season since 2017 (his final year with the Angels).

However, Cron has been hitting much better over the last month, with a .319/.347/.565 slash line in his first 72 PA since his IL stint.  His three seasons at Coors Field led to some pretty drastic home/road splits, and the Angels will have to hope that he can both hit outside of the thin air and remain healthy enough to play first base, since Ohtani’s presence removes the safety net of the DH spot.

MLB Pipeline and Baseball America had something of a split opinion on Madden’s potential, as while Pipeline ranked the right-hander as the eighth-best prospect in the Angels’ farm system, BA rated him only 21st.  Madden was a fourth-round pick for the Halos in 2022 and was getting his first taste of pro ball this season, with a 5.46 ERA over 64 1/3 innings for the Angels’ A-ball affiliate.  His 12.9% walk rate underlines the issues that Baseball America’s scouting report had with his control and command, yet Madden’s big fastball can hit 98mph and his slider also looks like an above-average pitch.  A Tommy John surgery limited Madden’s experience late in high school and in junior college, but Pipeline in particular likes his upside once the 21-year-old gets more experience on the mound.

Albright fell just inside the Angels’ top 30 rankings from Pipeline (28th) and Baseball America (29th), and the 20-year-old southpaw has posted a 3.62 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate, and 6.0% walk rate over 79 2/3 innings with A-level Island Empire.  A 12th-round pick for Los Angeles in 2021, Albright’s numbers have improved after a mechanical change, so some interesting upside exists if he continues to thrive after altering the arm action on his delivery.  Pipeline puts a 50-grade on all four of Albright’s pitches, but while he doesn’t have a signature plus pitch, he can throw everything in his arsenal for strikes.

In short, the Rockies have now brought two new young arms into the organization, as Colorado continues its ever-lasting search for pitchers who can thrive at Coors Field.  The 2023 season in particular has only underlined that need, as the Rox have been crushed by rotation injuries ever since Spring Training, leaving the team struggling just to find another healthy pitchers to eat innings.  While the Rockies were seen as longshots to contend anyway, the team’s 41-64 record has put them at the bottom of the National League standings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Angels Place Taylor Ward On 60-Day IL With Facial Fractures

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8:20PM: Ward has been moved to the 60-day IL to create some roster space for the Angels’ acquisitions of Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron from the Rockies.  The move to the 60-day IL puts Ward out of action until late September at the earliest, and likely means that he isn’t expected to return this season.

9:30AM: The Angels announced this morning that outfielder Taylor Ward has been placed on the 10-day injured list with facial fractures. In a corresponding move, the club selected the contract of infielder Kevin Padlo. Padlo will take the 40-man roster spot vacated by left-hander Tucker Davidson, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week.

Ward’s injury stems from a scary moment during the club’s loss against the Blue Jays last night. As noted by MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, Ward was struck in the face by a sinker from right-hander Alek Manoah. The 29 year old had to be carted off the field after the incident and was evaluated at a local hospital. Per The Athletic’s Sam Blum, Ward has since been released from the hospital but will not travel with the team to Atlanta for the series against the Braves, which begins tomorrow.

In 409 trips to the plate this season, Ward has posted a solid .253/.335/.421 slash line, 8% better than league average by measure of wRC+. While that slash line is a departure from the 137 wRC+ Ward offered last year, he’s caught fire in July, slashing a whopping .304/.424/.623 in his last 85 plate appearances. The loss of Ward for what figures to be an extended period is a crushing blow to an Angels club that is already dealing with injuries to Mike Trout, Logan O’Hoppe, Gio Urshela, Anthony Rendon, Brandon Drury, Max Stassi, and Jo Adell among its position player corps.

With Ward on the shelf, the club figures to rely on an outfield of Mickey Moniak, Hunter Renfroe, and Trey Cabbage for the time being. Between the club’s significant injury woes on the position player side of things and their recent blockbuster deal to acquire right-handers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox, it seems reasonable to expect the Angels to investigate additions to the club’s offense. They’ve already discussed a Jeimer Candelario deal with the Nationals, and it’s possible that Ward’s injury could push them to explore the outfield market as well. Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, and Adam Duvall are among the outfielders who could potentially be on the move ahead of the trade deadline on August 1.

Ward’s trip to the IL makes room on the active roster for Padlo, a 27-year-old journeyman who has played for five teams in the majors since making his big league debut in 2021. Padlo briefly came up to the big league club earlier this season, slashing .125/.125/.250 in just eight plate appearances before being designated for assignment to make room for veteran infielder Mike Moustakas after he was dealt from the Rockies to the Angels. Aside from that short stint in the majors, Padlo has spent this season primarily with Anaheim’s Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, where he’s slashed a solid .257/.385/.464 in 51 games. Padlo, who has experience at first base, second base, third base, and left field, figures to provide a bat-first utility option to the Angels for the corner spots, complementing the glove-first work of Andrew Velazquez up the middle.

Angels Select Gerardo Reyes, Ryan Aguilar

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The Angels announced a host of roster moves before tonight’s series in Toronto. Relievers Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera and outfielder Taylor Ward were all placed on the restricted list. That’s standard procedure for players who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 and are thus prohibited from traveling into Canada. In order to replace them on the roster, the Halos recalled righty José Marte and selected the contracts of reliever Gerardo Reyes and outfielder Ryan Aguilar. All three players have been designated as “substitutes,” meaning they can later be taken off the roster and returned to the minor leagues without passing through waivers.

It’s likely to be a temporary promotion for that trio, but Reyes and Aguilar have long-awaited opportunities to make an impact at the major league level. Reyes has a bit of big league experience, having come out of the bullpen 27 times for the 2019 Padres. The right-hander posted a 7.62 ERA over 26 innings. He spent 2020 at the alternate training site and was dealt from San Diego to Anaheim that deadline in exchange for veteran catcher Jason Castro.

Reyes was outrighted off the 40-man roster last March and underwent Tommy John surgery not long after, but he’s returned to action in Salt Lake this season. Through 39 innings with the Bees, the 29-year-old has a 3.69 ERA. He’s punched out an above-average 29.2% of opposing hitters but issued walks at an elevated 15.7% clip.

Aguilar, meanwhile, could get a chance to make his MLB debut. A 31st round pick of the Brewers out of the University of Arizona in 2016, he remained in the Milwaukee farm system through the end of last season. The 27-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Halos over the offseason and has spent the year at Double-A Rocket City. He’s posted an excellent .280/.427/.517 line with a massive 19% walk rate (albeit against generally younger competition) to earn a big league call. A left-handed hitter, he’s played primarily right field with the Trash Pandas.

Loup, Tepera and Ward will miss the weekend series. They’ll presumably rejoin the club on Monday, when they return home to host the Yankees. Sam Blum of the Athletic tweets that hitting coach Jeremy Reed also did not make the trip to Toronto.

Angels Place Taylor Ward On IL, Recall Jo Adell

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The Angels have announced that outfielder Taylor Ward has been placed on the 10-day IL, categorizing his injury as a mild right hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to June 4. Fellow outfielder Jo Adell has been recalled to take his place on the roster.

Ward was one of the most pleasant surprises of the first few weeks of the season. Through May 2o, he was hitting an astounding .370/.481/.713 for a wRC+ of 242. Since then, however, a couple of injuries have slowed him down. He collided with the outfield wall while making a catch in the club’s game on May 20, causing some pain in his neck and shoulder. He eventually returned to action, but this hamstring issue flared up. Between the two maladies, he’s only been able to make 27 plate appearances over the past two weeks, hitting .167/.259/.333 in that time.

It doesn’t seem Ward is in line for an extended absence, as manager Joe Maddon tells reporters, including Sam Blum of The Athletic, that they’re hoping he’ll miss “minimal time.” While he’s out, Adell will step in and take another shot at finding success in the big leagues. Over the past few seasons, Adell has tantalized with excellent production in the minors but hasn’t yet been able to get into a groove at the MLB level. In 92 games over the past three seasons, his career batting line is .207/.249/.351, 63 wRC+.

Much like Ward, the Angels jumped out to a hot start but have been slowed recently. They are currently mired in a 10-game losing streak that has dropped their record to 27-27. Despite that awful slump, they’re still in possession of the final Wild Card playoff spot in the American League, though four teams are within a game and a half of them.

Angels Notes: Suzuki, Stassi, Canning, Ward

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The Angels have reinstated catcher Kurt Suzuki from the COVID-related injury list.  Austin Romine was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Suzuki on the active roster, while fellow catcher Matt Thaiss will also remain with Triple-A Salt Lake on option after being activated from the minor league version of the IL.

With both Suzuki and Max Stassi sidelined on the COVID list, the Halos found themselves quite shorthanded behind the plate, leading to Romine and Chad Wallach each getting plenty of action over the last 10 days.  Suzuki is returning after a two-week absence, while Stassi hit the IL on May 10 and could himself be close to a return.  Angels athletic trainer Mike Frostad told The Athletic’s Sam Blum (Twitter links), and The Southern California Newsgroup’s J.P. Hoornstra that Stassi will likely play two more minor league rehab games before being activated.

The outlook isn’t as positive for Griffin Canning, as Frostad said the right-hander is considering surgery to address a stress reaction in his lower back.  No decision has been made, as Canning is meeting with a specialist on Monday and will then opt to go with a surgery or a less-invasive treatment.

It’s worrisome news for Canning, as these back problems have kept him from pitching from July 8, 2021 (when Canning last took the mound at Triple-A).  He had worked his way up to the simulated-game stage of his rehab earlier this month, but he continued to feel discomfort after his latest outing.  Depending on the type of procedure or how well Canning responds to rehab, it’s possible the entire 2022 season could now be in jeopardy for the 26-year-old.

A second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Canning has appeared in each of the last three seasons, starting 41 of his 43 MLB games and posting a 4.73 ERA over 209 1/3 innings.  Even without surgery, it’s hard to figure on when Canning might make his 2022 debut, leaving the Angels short an important depth arm for their six-man rotation.  Long a weak spot, the Anaheim rotation has been quite good thus far, but the club also has less margin for error given their need of an extra hurler.  With Canning sidelined and Jose Suarez ineffective, that depth has already been tested, the Halos recently promoted Chase Silseth directly from Double-A to the majors.

The Angels entered today’s action with a strong 24-17 record, despite an ongoing four-game losing streak.  Last night’s 4-2 loss to the Athletics also saw Taylor Ward leave the game in the ninth inning after colliding with the outfield wall following a catch.  Fortunately, Frostad said Ward didn’t suffer a concussion and only had a stinger in his arm after making the play.

Ward isn’t in tonight’s lineup but is only day-to-day, and seems to have avoided any major injury.  It has been a dream start for Ward, who leads the majors in all three slash categories (.370/.481/.713) and has hit nine home runs over his first 131 plate appearances.

Angels Notes: Maddon, Fletcher, Ward

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Angels manager Joe Maddon signed a three-year, $12MM contract when hired over the 2019-20 offseason. Headed into year three, the longtime big league skipper is in a lame duck situation. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports, however, that the contract also contains a $4MM option for next season that would vest if the Angels reach the World Series.

That may not wind up being an especially meaningful provision. After all, if the Angels win the American League pennant, it’d stand to reason owner Arte Moreno and general manager Perry Minasian would want to keep Maddon around on a long-term deal anyhow. Nevertheless, Heyman writes that the team “deferred discussion” on a possible contract extension over this past offseason. The Angels finished below .500 in each of Maddon’s first two seasons at the helm, but they’ve gotten off to an excellent 14-7 start in 2022. The 68-year-old Maddon is amidst his 17th consecutive season as an MLB manager; he has overseen eight playoff teams, including a 2008 AL pennant winner in Tampa Bay and the Cubs’ 2016 World Series team.

In other news out of Anaheim:

  • The Angels activated David Fletcher from the injured list prior to this evening’s win over the White Sox. He returned to the starting lineup, getting the nod at shortstop and hitting a pair of doubles. Fletcher went on the IL on April 12 with a left hip strain and spent a little less than three weeks on the shelf. The 27-year-old was the Angels’ primary second baseman last season, but all five of his starts this year have come at shortstop. Matt Duffy and Tyler Wade have been the top options at the keystone, and both players have gotten off to nice starts. Andrew Velazquez, who saw the bulk of the shortstop time while Fletcher was out, has struggled. The Halos optioned Jack Mayfield to Triple-A Salt Lake to create active roster space for Fletcher, seemingly leaving Duffy and Wade as the second base tandem with Velazquez as utility depth.
  • Taylor Ward has been one of the league’s most surprising performers in the early going. After opening the season on the injured list due to a groin strain, the 28-year-old returned to action on April 16. Ward has tallied 58 plate appearances in the two weeks since then and has gotten off to a blistering .404/.517/.830 start. He’s connected on five home runs and has a massive 19% walk rate, and the Halos have responded by pushing him to the top of the lineup. Ward discussed his hot start with Sam Blum of the Athletic this week, pointing to a more deliberate and selective approach in the batter’s box for his excellent results. Obviously, Ward isn’t going to continue to produce at this otherworldly level, but he quietly had an above-average .250/.332/.438 showing in 65 games last season. Even before his early-season tear, Maddon had declared Ward his primary right fielder. Each of Ward, Mike Trout and Brandon Marsh have hit the ground running, and the Angels have gotten by far the best outfield production of any team in MLB through the season’s first month.

Angels Activate Taylor Ward

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The Angels announced that outfielder Taylor Ward (left groin strain) has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.  Infielder Jose Rojas was already optioned to Triple-A after last night’s game, so there was an open spot on Los Angeles’ active roster.

Ward will make his 2022 debut as the Angels’ cleanup hitter today, playing in right field.  Manager Joe Maddon has cited Ward as a starter in his outfield, which may surprise some fans who tabbed star prospects Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh as the logical candidates to start on the grass alongside Mike Trout.  However, Ward posted slightly below league-average offense in 2020 and then hit .250/.332/.438 over 237 plate appearances last season, good for a solid 109 OPS+ and 111 wRC+.

Ward and Adell are both right-handed hitters and Marsh swings from the left side, so there is some platoon maneuverability amongst the two non-Trout outfield spots.  Utilityman Tyler Wade can also chip in for outfield work, and Magneuris Sierra and Monte Harrison are at Triple-A on minor league contracts.

Roster Moves: Contreras, Lopez, Detmers, Guerra, Quintana

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Catching on some of the roster moves that took place before today’s slate of games…

  • The Cubs placed Willson Contreras on the 10-day injured list due to right hip inflammation, officially ending the veteran catcher’s season.  In corresponding moves, Alfonso Rivas was moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL, and catcher Tyler Payne made his MLB debut today after his contract selected from Triple-A.  One of the few veterans remaining in the wake of the Cubs’ deadline fire sale, Contreras might be either a trade candidate or an extension candidate this winter, depending on the club’s next direction.  Contreras finishes the year hitting .237/.340/.438 with 21 home runs over 483 PA.
  • The Marlins activated Pablo Lopez from the 60-day injured list, as Lopez tossed 1 2/3 innings in an abbreviated start during Miami’s 5-4 win over the Phillies today.  It marked Lopez’s first game since July 11, as a right rotator cuff strain interrupted a very impressive season for the 25-year-old.  Lopez posted a 3.03 ERA and above-average strikeout and walk rates over his first 101 innings, setting himself up for 2022 as yet another quality young arm in the Marlins rotation. To make room for Lopez’s return to the roster, Miami placed left-hander Sean Guenther on the 10-day IL and moved first baseman Jesus Aguilar to the 60-day IL.
  • The Angels called up left-hander Reid Detmers to start today’s contest with the Mariners, and also activated righty Junior Guerra from the 10-day IL.  Outfielder Taylor Ward heads to the 10-day IL with a right adductor strain while southpaw Jhonathan Diaz was optioned to Triple-A.
  • Jose Quintana cleared waivers and outrighted to the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate.  San Francisco designated Quintana for assignment earlier this week, after the veteran left-hander posted a 4.66 ERA over 9 2/3 innings with the Giants.  Quintana was claimed off waivers from the Angels at the end of August, as the Giants looked to add some lefty depth down the stretch.
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