New Los Angeles Angels infielder Eduardo Escobar made his presence felt in their blowout win over the Colorado Rockies, a welcomed addition for a team continuing their important push for the playoffs.
Escobar was acquired from the New York Mets for two Angels prospects, Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux, showing once again that general manager Perry Minasian is making aggressive decisions. The 34-year-old may be in his 13th big league season, but he can provide a number of key, useful attributes for manager Phil Nevin’s roster.
His switch-hitting ability and defensive upside around the infield are what made him a desirable target. After playing in his first few games with the Angels, he stepped away from the team to take his official United States citizenship test, per Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
Nevin said the Angels had no reluctance to allow Escobar to leave the team temporarily to complete the lengthy process of becoming a citizen. “When he talked about it, his eyes lit up,” Nevin said. “This is something he’s looked forward to for a long time and we certainly wouldn’t take that away from him. Some things are more important than baseball and this certainly is.”
Escobar traveled to Miami, and is only scheduled to miss the first of four games with the Chicago White Sox when they come to Anaheim.
Jo Adell was recalled to replace Escobar on the active roster, but it’s expected to be another short stay with the club for the raw but talented outfielder.
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe ‘overwhelmed’ with positive steps in rehab
Logan O’Hoppe joined the Angels as their new No. 1 prospect when they acquired him in a trade last season and received the nod to join the club as part of their Opening Day roster. Through 53 at-bats, he notched an .886 on-base plus slugging.
His hot start gave some life to the Angels, but he, unfortunately, suffered a torn left labrum on April 20. With some time, and a successful run of recovery, O’Hoppe expressed a great deal of optimism surrounding the state of his shoulder.
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