The Los Angeles Angels outrighted left-handed pitcher Kenny Rosenberg to Triple-A Salt Lake after he was designated for assignment one week ago to make room for the signing of Justin Garza.
Rosenberg was selected by the Angels in the Rule 5 Draft before the 2022 season from the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 27-year-old is local to Southern California, attending California State University, Northridge (CSUN), a school that has not produced many Major League players, but was the college playing grounds of former Angels infielder Adam Kennedy, current Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan, Oakland Athletics prospect Denzel Clarke and St. Louis Cardinals farmhand Justin Toerner.
In his sophomore season at CSUN in 2016, he was named to the Big West Conference All-Academic Team after posting a 3.21 ERA and led the Big West Conference with 118 strikeouts in 109 innings, ahead of eventual Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, and held batters to a .198 batting average.
He was originally selected by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2016 MLB Draft but never made it to the show with the organization.
Rosenberg made his Major League debut with the Angels this past season and pitched 10.2 innings with a 4.22 ERA. At the Minor League level, the southpaw went 2-7 with a 3.54 ERA in 68.2 innings with 68 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP across 17 games (15 starts).
He holds a career 3.85 ERA with 513 strikeouts and a 1.33 WHIP across 504.1 Minor League innings. Rosenberg should continue to serve as organizational depth for the Angels.
Angels re-sign Jhonathan Díaz
The Angels brought back a familiar face by re-signing left-handed pitcher Jhonathan Díaz to a Minor League deal.
Díaz was originally signed in 2013 by the Boston Red Sox at 17 years old. He spent seven years in their farm system before he elected free agency in the fall of 2020. The Angels brought him into their organization shortly thereafter.
He posted a 4.01 ERA in 2021 between the Angels’ Double-A and Triple-A levels and finally settled in with Salt Lake for the entirety of this past season. Díaz didn’t see much time at the Major League level, but in four appearances (three starts) he allowed five earned runs across 15.1 innings pitched.
The 26-year-old still has three Minor League options remaining on his current rookie contract, which could be of use for the Angels in their search for productive young arms to fill out their farm.
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