Angels Keep Veteran Infielder in Organization After Designating Him for Assignment

J.P. Hoornstra | Jul 27, 2024

Jul 13, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Josh Rojas #4 of the Seattle Mariners is caught stealing on tag by Keston Hiura #13 of the Los Angeles Angels in the second inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Angels will keep Keston Hiura in their organization after the veteran infielder cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake.

INF Keston Hiura has been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) July 27, 2024

Hiura had been designated for assignment on Wednesday, when the Angels activated Luis Rengifo from the injured list.

Rather than losing him to another team or free agency, Hiura will head back to Salt Lake, where he's enjoyed some of his greatest success in 2024.

Hiura has a .270/.346/.536 slash line in 68 Triple-A games this year with the Detroit Tigers' and Angels' top farm teams. The Valencia native slashed .360/.429/.853 in 19 games after moving to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

The Angels signed Hiura, a product of nearby UC Irvine, to a minor league contract on June 11. He got off to a tear, hitting five home runs in his first seven games at Triple-A.

One landed 480 feet from home plate:

KESTON HIURA OH MY GOODNESS! 😱💣

Hiura SMASHES his second home run of the game 480 feet to give the Bees a four run lead! pic.twitter.com/TvPVH2O9eX

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) June 21, 2024

That offered a glimpse of Hiura's early potential to become the Angels' next successful reclamation project in a season full of them. Kevin Pillar, Willie Calhoun, and Luis Guillorme are all on their second organizations since spring training. So is pitcher Roansy Contreras. All have found a place in the Angels' pecking order since they arrived.

Hiura fits a similar profile to the aforementioned players. He looked like a budding star when he hit 19 homers in 84 games as a rookie for the Milwaukee Brewers during the 2019 season.

Since then, his career has taken a downturn, as he's struggled to hit and find a position at the major league level. Hiura batted only .148 (4 for 27) with no walks or extra-base hits in 10 games with the Angels.

Now, he'll look to regain his stroke in the familiar confines of Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City.