Angels Sign Veteran Outfielder Recently Cut by White Sox to Replace Injured Mike Trout

Maren Angus-Coombs | May 1, 2024

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels found a replacement for Mike Trout on Tuesday evening and announced they've signed Kevin Pillar for the Major League Baseball minimum.

According to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, it's unclear whether Pillar will be in town for Tuesday's game or not.

Pillar was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox on April 26 and elected free agency on Saturday instead of accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte. He was hitting just .160 for the White Sox with a homer, four runs batted in and one run scored in 25 at-bats across 17 games. He has struck out eight times, walked four times, and stolen two bases.

He recently joined Foul Territory and told the show that he "would've done anything" to play for the Braves again. He also said that he's never been happier playing anywhere else.

"I would've done anything to go back there," he said. "I've never been happier playing baseball in my life. It was the most fun I ever had. The group of guys, the culture, the winning, the city, it checked all of the boxes. That option wasn't there for me, so it was time for me to move on."

The 35-year-old has played in parts of 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and White Sox. He rose to the top during his tenure in Toronto. In his seven seasons there, he played in the American League Championship Series twice and became one of the league's best defensive outfielders.

Pillar is a career .257 hitter with 107 homers. He's also close to multiple career milestones. He is 17 hits shy of 1,000 and two stolen bases shy of 100.