The Angels introduced that they’ve claimed right-hander Michael Petersen off waivers from the Blue Jays. The latter membership had designated him for project final week. To open a roster spot, the Angels designated fellow righty Kelvin Cáceres for project.
Petersen, 30, made his huge league debut with the Dodgers final yr, pitching 14 innings with a 6.43 ERA. He went from Los Angeles to the Marlins by way of waivers late within the yr and tossed one other 5 innings for Miami. General, he completed with a 5.95 ERA, 15.6% strikeout fee and 12.2% stroll fee in his first 19 2/3 innings within the majors.
The U.Okay.-born Petersen spent his profession previous to final season with the Rockies and Brewers organizations. He’d joined the Dodgers on a minor league pact and posted lights-out numbers in Triple-A: 1.64 ERA, 35.2% strikeout fee, 6.4% stroll fee in 33 innings. Petersen’s towering 6’7″ body solely makes his 97 mph heater and upper-80s cutter play up. That energy arm, final yr’s big numbers within the minors and a number of minor league possibility years have mixed to make a preferred waiver goal. The Angels will likely be his fourth group since September.
Cáceres, 25, missed the complete 2024 season after present process surgical procedure to restore a torn lat. He made his MLB debut with the 2023 Angels however pitched simply 1 1/3 innings in that temporary cup of espresso. He’s posted stable numbers within the minors with the Halos, most not too long ago working to a mixed 4.12 ERA with a 34.8% strikeout fee and 13.1% stroll fee in 54 2/3 innings throughout three ranges. That included a dominant 10-inning run in Triple-A, the place he allowed only one run on 5 hits and 5 walks with 11 strikeouts.
Cáceres sits 95-96 mph together with his heater and {couples} the pitch with a curveball and changeup. He nonetheless has a number of minor league choices remaining, so maybe one other membership will likely be intrigued by the optionable energy arm and place a declare or work out a small commerce. His well being outlook stays murky for now, however an optionable 25-year-old with an influence arm and a historical past of lacking bats is the kind of prospect groups love to invest on if they’ve the roster house.
