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The Los Angeles Angels have continued their flurry of roster moves with the latest coming in the form of Jared Walsh being designated for assignment. The 29-year-old's designation comes in the wake of the team's blockbuster trade for pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox.
To make space for both of their new players, the Los Angeles Angels designated Jared Walsh for assignment and transferred pitcher Ben Joyce to the 60-day IL. As a result of the designation, the Angels will have one week to either trade, release, or attempt to pass him through waivers.
Given the amount of service time that Walsh has accumulated, he can decline the assignment and opt for free agency. Even though this is a common decision among veteran players, there is a chance that Walsh will opt to accept the assignment as rejecting the move will forfeit the remaining salary he is due for the remainder of the season.
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"Jared Walsh DFA'd, went from 39th round pick to Major Leaguer to All-Star which is incredibly impressive, injury has clearly dogged him to the current state he's in and Angels are in dire spot to have best roster they can" - @TaylorBlakeWard
This is a disappointing turn in the MLB career of Walsh, who once looked like a future star before a series of injuries derailed his career. Now, after another disappointing season, Walsh will need to prove that he is still a capable MLB player, or the door to continue may be shutting quickly.
A look at Jared Walsh's roller coaster MLB career so far
After being selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 39th round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft, it seemed unlikely that Walsh would reach the heights he did in the majors.
Walsh made his MLB debut in 2019, appearing in 31 games with the club, doing the same in 2020 by playing in 32 games with the Angels. His true breakout came during the 2021 season which saw Walsh hit a career-high 29 home runs and 98 RBIs, while producing a solid .277 batting average. This level of production gave Walsh his first and only All-Star selection.
It seemed like the sky was the limit for Jared Walsh, however, injuries soon caught up to him, leading to the first baseman undergoing thoracic outlet surgery last summer.
"It seems pretty clear that Jared Walsh’s injury significantly impacted his offense in 2022. His 113 wRC+ in April/May/June dropped to a 15 wRC+ in July/August. Even more notable is that his average exit velocity dropped from 91.4 mph in April/May/June to 86 mph in July/August." - @BeyondTheHalo
Since then he has been a shell of himself as he struggled to produce anywhere near his 2021 level. This has led to the Angels making the difficult decision to DFA him following the acquisition of Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. It may be a long road back to the MLB for Walsh, if that opportunity does indeed ever come again.
