Former Angels Utilityman, 31, Retires Immediately From MLB

The California native earned a nice nickname during his brief time with the Angels.

Angels third baseman Tyler Wade (14) celebrates with first baseman Jared Walsh (20) and left fielder Brandon Marsh (16) his run scored for the victory against the Miami Marlins at Angel Stadium on April 12, 2022. | USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Wade's time in the Angels organization was relatively short. It was long enough, at least, to earn him a nickname in Japanese. Ikemen translates to "hot guy," and Wade earned it (in part) from his frequent appearances with Shohei Ohtani in photographs viewed in the former MVP's homeland.

Wade, 31, spent only one season in Anaheim. He played 67 games in for the 2022 team that went 73-89. He batted .218 and was traded to the New York Yankees in July of that year. Nonetheless, Wade was a favorite of former Angels manager Joe Maddon for his ability to lay down a bunt, steal a base, and play multiple positions.

Four years and three organizations later, Wade announced his retirement in a post to his Twitter/X account Monday.

pic.twitter.com/K2oQKoV5QV

— Tyler Wade (@_tylerwade) September 28, 2026

"For as long as I can remember, all I ever wanted was to play in the Major Leagues," Wade wrote. "Now, 13 years later and after 9 years in the big leagues, it's time to move on."

Wade played 507 games in his nine-year MLB career with the Angels, Yankees (2017-21), Oakland A's (2023) and San Diego Padres (2024-25). He retires with a career slash line of .216/.294/.284 and 51 stolen bases in 67 attempts.

Although he was never a star, Wade played alongside many of them. Besides Ohtani and Mike Trout in Anaheim, he shared a clubhouse in New York with Aaron Judge. In San Diego, he backed up third baseman Manny Machado and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr.

Wade was an old-school player who played nine MLB seasons despite never hitting more than three home runs in any of them. He estsablished career highs in games played (103), batting average (.268), on-base percentage (.354) and steals (17) with the Yankees in 2021.

The Angels acquired Wade from the Yankees when he was designated for assignment after that season. Even though his time in Anaheim was brief, Wade thanked the Angels among the other teams he played for in his retirement post Monday.

"l've been incredibly blessed to be a part of some amazing teams and, even more importantly, to be surrounded by incredible teammates," he wrote. "I want to thank the Yankees for taking a chance on an 18-year-old kid and giving me the opportunity to live out my dream of playing for the best franchise in all of sports. To everyone in the Padres organization, the fans, thank you. I loved every minute of my two years wearing the brown and gold.

"Anaheim and Oakland, you were also a huge part of my journey, and I'm grateful for every experience along the way."