Angels News: Halos Appear to Be Giving Up on the David Fletcher Era

Angels make a shocking move and demote their infielder

Your Los Angeles Angels made a shocking move this morning as they optioned their infielder David Fletcher and brought up their top prospect Zach Neto. 

The news woke up Angel fans more than their morning coffee, and rightfully so. This came out of left field (pun intended), even with the horrendous start to the season by Fletcher. Nonetheless, this poses a legitimate question: are the Angels giving up on David Fletcher? 

Making this move sure seems like it. The Angels signed the 28-year-old in 2021 to a five-year contract extension worth $26 million. Fletcher is in his third year of that contract, and it hasn't looked great for him this season. 

Through eight games, David is slashing, .125/.125/.125 with a .250 OPS, zero homers, one RBI, two hits, and three strikeouts in 16 ABs. The Halos used their 195th pick in the sixth round on Fletcher in the 2015 draft, and he appeared to be a solid pickup when he saw some time on the field. 

His best season came in the 2020 shortened season, where he had an OPS of .801 (career-high), played 49 games out of 60 with a batting average of .319, and knocked in 18 runners. 

And now we're here, the six-year veteran is making his way to Triple-A in the middle of his contract for an unproven talent. If this isn't rock bottom, I don't know what is. For Neto's sake, let's hope he makes the front office look like geniuses, and we hope Fletcher can make his way back to the majors.