Former Dodgers Top Prospect Cut For Fourth Time in Last Two Years

It's been a tough road for this former Dodger.

May 29, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Willie Calhoun (24) and third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera (95), and right fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrate defeating the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Willie Calhoun has been designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels, per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

Sources: The Angels have DFA’d DH/1B Willie Calhoun. He had a .695 OPS in 68 games for them.

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 15, 2024

Calhoun recorded just three hits in 21 at-bats this month, a .143 batting average. Calhoun, who signed a minor league contract with the Angels last December, began the year with Triple-A where he slashed .268/.345/.361 with 26 hits, 12 runs, one home run, and 12 RBIs.

The 29-year-old was called up on May 1, and he made his Angels debut two days later on May 3. Calhoun did well with the Angels initially. He recorded three hits on four at-bats during his first game with the team, and had a five-game hit streak to begin his tenure.

Calhoun batted .277 through May and .288 in June before his numbers began to stumble toward the middle of summer. Calhoun hit just .182 in July, with that number dipping to .143 through the first half of August, leading to him getting cut.

Unfortunately for Calhoun, he has become no stranger to DFA limbo over the last two years. He has been designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and now the Angels since the 2022 season began.

Before he was bouncing around MLB, Calhoun was the Dodgers' fourth-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. He was in their minor league system for two years, making it as high as the Dodgers' Triple-A team. Calhoun appeared in 99 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2017, slashing .298/.357/.574 with 111 hits, 64 runs, 23 home runs, and 67 RBIs.

Calhoun ended up getting traded alongside A.J. Alexy, and Brendon Davis to the Rangers so the Dodgers had the opportunity to acquire All-Star ace Yu Darvish. He made his MLB debut that September, and appeared in 13 games total with the Rangers that season.

Calhoun would go on to spend nearly five years with the Rangers' organization, playing in as many as 83 games for the team in 2019. Calhoun was set back with injuries over the final full two seasons with the Rangers. In 2020, he was airlifted to the hospital after he was struck in the face by a 95 mph Julio Urías fastball, suffering a fractured and displaced jaw.

The following season, Calhoun was hit by a pitch again, which fractured his forearm, continuing what now appears to become a cycle of bad luck for a once-promising Dodgers prospect.