Another round of roster cuts for the Los Angeles Angels Spring Training included Chase Silseth, Livan Soto, Chris Devenski and Luis Barrera.
Trey Cabbage, Myles Emmerson, Jonathan Holder, Taylor Jones, Jake Kalish, Kevin Paldo, Kenny Rosenberg, César Valdez, Cam Vieaux, and Aaron Whitefield were also reassigned to Minor League camp as well. Right-hander Zack Weiss returns from World Baseball Classic play, but was listed among the players optioned.
Silseth entered camp with an outside shot at making the Angels roster as the sixth man in the starting rotation. Earning early praise because of the addition of a cutter, there’s been optimism surrounding his potential. Posting an 8.10 ERA in four starts in camp with 14 punchouts over 13.1 innings pitched is more of the story.
He’ll open the season in the Minor League ranks, but the Angels’ No. 7 prospect won’t be out of big league consideration for too long.
Soto was rushed to the big leagues last season out of pure necessity for a competent infielder after a myriad of injuries that seemed to snowball. He posted a .746 on-base plus slugging in camp across 36 at-bats but is slated to open the season in Triple-A with the Salt Lake Bees.
Like Soto, Barrera is another piece who was a contributor last season because of injuries. The 27-year-old outfielder represented the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series leading up to the WBC and will have an opportunity to get into more of a rhythm at Minor League camp now that big league rosters are beginning to shape up for the regular season.
Barrera posted a .694 OPS with two RBI this spring and because of the core of starting outfielders in MLB for the Angels, he won’t be as needed, barring injuries.
Devenski signed with the Angels on a Minor League deal in late November, and the 32-year-old reliever attempted to toss his name in the ring for a spot in the bullpen. Unfortunately, he struggled to string solid outings together this spring.
His first outing of the spring was promising, but he followed it up by allowing two runs on two hits three days later. He repeated the same performance over his next two outings and couldn’t find a groove in the strikeout category. He’ll remain a bullpen option for the Salt Lake Bees to open the season.
Angels shut down José Marte to evaluate elbow
Offseason signings addressed top-end talent and depth in the bullpen, and their standing alone will prove to be important throughout the season as relievers deal with injuries. Unfortunately, the club is already dealing with one as José Marte has stopped throwing due to right elbow trouble.
The absence of the 26-year-old reliever won’t leave a gaping hole in their depth, but his upside and potential are brought to a halt. The injury is going to keep him out for at least a couple of months.
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