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Angels Cut Former All-Star in Major Roster Shakeup

J.P. Hoornstra|
Angels starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) is removed from the game by manager Ron Washington (37) as catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14), first baseman Nolan Schanuel (18) and second baseman Tim Anderson (77) watch in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Angel Stadium.
Angels starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) is removed from the game by manager Ron Washington (37) as catcher Logan O'Hoppe (14), first baseman Nolan Schanuel (18) and second baseman Tim Anderson (77) watch in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Angel Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Angels

Tim Anderson gave the Angels a veteran presence on an infield that included two pillars of their youth movement, shortstop Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel.

Anderson also gave the Angels usually reliable defense at two positions (shortstop and second base). He did not, however, give the Angels much confidence that his offensive fortunes would turn around.

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Anderson was designated for assignment in one of many roster moves prior to Wednesday's game against the New York Yankees.

Catcher Chuckie Robinson was also designated for assignment, and the Angels activated pitcher Robert Stephenson and promoted infielder Scott Kingery from Triple-A Salt Lake.

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Anderson was hitting .205/.258/.241 in 31 games as the primary backup at both middle infield positions. His .499 OPS was a tick up from 2024, when he played 65 games for the Miami Marlins.

But Anderson's hard-hit rate and ability to square the ball up were nowhere near what he flashed in 2022, the last of his two All-Star seasons with the Chicago White Sox.

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The Angels have seven days to trade Anderson, 31, or place him on outright or unconditional release waivers. Because of his service time, the Angels cannot outright Anderson to the minor leagues without his permission.

Anderson is a career .276/.307/.407 hitter in 991 games from 2016-25. But he has been in steep decline over the last three seasons, slashing .232/.269/.270 and accumulating -3.2 bWAR for the White Sox, Marlins and Angels.

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Kingery, 31, is also getting his second chance in the majors. A former second-round draft pick by the Phillies, he saw action in parts of five seasons (2018-22) with Philadelphia, logging innings at every position except catcher and first base.

But Kingery's last at-bat with the Phillies was in 2021, and he had been effectively banished to Triple-A ever since. The Angels took a flier on him and saw him hit .373/.418/.578 in 21 games with Salt Lake.

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Kingery is a career .229/.280/.387 hitter in 325 games, all with the Phillies.

Because neither he nor Stephenson (who was on the 60-day injured list recovering from Tommy John surgery), the Angels had to clear two 40-man roster spots.

Kingery is not in the Angels' starting lineup for the series finale against New York. Luis Rengifo is starting at second base, and Neto is starting at shortstop.

More to come on this story from Angels on SI.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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