Angels Designate Veteran For Assignment, Call Up Ex-Red Sox Infielder: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 15, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels are designating first baseman/outfielder Willie Calhoun for assignment, according to Alden González of ESPN on X.

In a corresponding move, former Boston Red Sox infielder/outfielder Jack López is being called up, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN on X.

Calhoun signed a minor league deal with the Angels prior to spring training and was selected to the big league roster on May 1. He accumulated 254 plate appearances over 68 games and is slashing .245/.315/.380 with five home runs and 20 runs batted in.

The Angels are calling up infielder Jack López, per source. https://t.co/lHfMCsGrDb

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) August 15, 2024

Calhoun was once considered one of the game's top prospects when he had a 21 home run season in 2019. He just couldn't find a way to remain in the big leagues for a significant amount of time and ran out of options in 2022.

Once his options were gone, he has done nothing but bounce around the league playing for the Texas Rangers, the San Francisco Giants, the New York Yankees and the Angels.

Calhoun could join his fifth organization since 2022 via the waiver process in the coming days, and finish out the season on a major league roster — perhaps even latch on with a contending team.

Calhoun came up through the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system and became the key piece in the 2017 trade that sent pitcher Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers to the Dodgers.

Back then, he was trying to discover his power hitting which resulted in his inconsistent approach at the plate.

“I was always a gap-to-gap guy,” Calhoun told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register in mid-May. “I lost that approach when I got (to the majors with the Rangers) and started trying to chase power instead of letting it naturally flow. … It really obviously never worked out for me.”

López re-signed with the Angels on a minor league deal after spending the entire 2023 season with Triple-A Salt Lake. He has played 104 Triple-A games this year, hitting 12 home runs and slashing .274/.333/.421.

The 31-year-old doesn't have much major league experience, appearing in only seven big league games with the 2021 Red Sox and hitting .154/.214/.308. He does, however, have a ton of minor league experience.

He first reached Triple-A in 2017 and has played 687 minor league games since then. He has a career slash line of .256/.306/.386.

Calhoun served as the Angels' designated hitter during his short-lived career in Anaheim, however López has versatility to allow him to play all over the field. That depth gives the Halos options at DH going forward.