Los Angeles Angels Reliever with 'Big Arm' Impresses in MLB Debut after Fast Call Up

Jose Fermin, put on the roster Saturday morning, pitches in an afternoon loss to Minnesota Twins.

Detailed view of the Los Angeles Angels logo on a hat in the dugout during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 28, 2025. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Right-hander Jose Fermin didn’t have too long to worry about making his major league debut.

News hit the MLB transaction wire Saturday morning that the Los Angeles Angels had selected the contract of Fermin from the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas. By the afternoon, he was in Minneapolis, making a relief appearance in a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Welcome to the Show, José! pic.twitter.com/mLeAD1z38T

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 26, 2025

He was the fourth pitcher on the day for Los Angeles, and he threw a scoreless seventh inning, walking one and striking out two.

The Angels signed the 6-foot-3 Fermin, a native of the Dominican Republic, on Oct. 20, 2023. The 23-year-old made six relief appearances for Rocket City so far this season, going 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA over eight innings. He gave up one run on three hits, walked one and struck out 15.

In his brief minor league career, Fermin has appeared in 45 games and has a 9-5 record and 2.93 ERA over 73.2 innings. He has 106 strikeouts and seven saves in 13 chances.

“He’s been throwing the ball great,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said of Fermin. “Obviously, it's a young arm but it's a big arm. The encouraging thing is he’s throwing strikes. He's been very aggressive in the strike zone. I think we've got multiple options there [at Double-A] that have pitched really well, but he was the one that stood above everybody else at this point in time. Our international staff did a great job identifying him, signing him, and our player development staff has done a very good job developing him.”

In other moves Saturday, the Angels recalled left-hander Jake Eder from Triple-A Salt Lake, optioned right-hander Victor Mederos to Salt Lake, and designated right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. for assignment.

Related MiLB Stories

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE BOUND: New York Yankees prospect Jorbit Vivas has played in 595 minor league games without a big league appearance. And that didn’t change after a recent call-up. CLICK HERE:

BACK TO SYRACUSE: The New York Mets sent their longtime minor league catcher to Triple-A after his taste of the majors. CLICK HERE:

DOING BIG THINGS: Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Hyesong Kim, a star in his native Korea, is making a name for himself stateside at Triple-A Oklahoma City. CLICK HERE