The Angels announced that they have designated the right-hander’s contract Brett Kerry and remember the right hand José Fermín from Triple-A Salt Lake. In parallel movements, they put the right hand Grayson Rodriguez on the 15 day injured list with back inflammation and left hand designated Drew Pomeranz by share.
Pomeranz, now 37, was once one of the best hitters in the league. Unfortunately, injuries prevented him from pitching in the majors for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024. He had a great comeback with the Cubs last year, posting a 2.17 earned run average in 49 2/3 innings, striking out 28.1% of opponents while issuing just 7.4% walks.
The Halos offered Pomeranz a $4MM deal through 2026, betting he could keep it going. They lost that bet. Pomeranz has pitched them 23 1/3 innings this year, probably short of an IL stint in May due to elbow inflammation, with a 5.01 ERA. He might be lucky to have that number where it is. His 14.8% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate are both terrible stats. His .274 batting average on balls in play and a 78.1% strand rate.
Now he’s headed for DFA limbo. The Angels could try to make a trade, but it’s hard to imagine him garnering much interest given his performance this year, his salary, his age and his health history. He has enough additional service time to decline direct assignment while keeping his salary in place. The Halos may skip that routine and release him.
Assuming he ends up on the market in the coming days, Halo will be responsible for all the money he owes. Another club could sign him and would have to pay him a fraction of the league minimum for any time he spends on the roster. That money will be deducted from what the Angels pay.
The stories in Rodriguez are also notable in Halo. They weren’t there Yusei Kikuchi about two months due to shoulder inflammation. Jack Kochanowicz required Tommy John surgery this month. Rodriguez now resides in IL, continuing to reduce their rotation. The club is currently tied with the Royals for the bottom of the American League with identical 29-43 records. Thanks to a few other clubs struggling, they are technically only 6.5 games out of a playoff spot but gains will be difficult with this rotation picture.
Their current team consists of Walbert Ureña, Reid Detmers, Sam Aldegheri again José Soriano. They only have one day off between now and July 6, so they will need to find some kind of replacement for Rodriguez in the coming days.
That would be Kerry. A fifth-round pick starting in 2021, he continued to serve as a starter as he moved up to the minor leagues. He’s often received more praise for his command than his stuff, as his fastball sits in the low 90s. He was able to make his arsenal work in the minors, mixing a cutter, slider, curveball and changeup, but he was burned in Triple-A, where the Salt Lake Bees play in the Pacific Coast League. Kerry has a 6.89 ERA in 271 2/3 innings at that level.
It is unclear if the Halos plan to give Kerry another start or if he will be in the bullpen for a long time. Since this is his first call up to the majors, he has a full slate of big league options and could easily be shipped out in a few days, if necessary. The Angels did it George Klassen again Kaden Dana with optional assignment in Triple-A and could call one of the two, though Klassen has a 5.53 ERA in Triple-A this year and Dana 5.66. Taijuan Walker, Alec Manoah, Huascar Ynoa again Shaun Anderson options with specific league information.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
