The Angels announced today that Calhoun has been demoted outright to Triple-A Salt Lake. Calhoun has the option to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, although it is unclear whether he intends to do so.
Alden González of ESPN on X reports that the Angels will designate first baseman/outfielder Willie Calhoun for assignment on August 15. Jack López, an infielder/outfielder, is being called up, according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN on X.
Calhoun, 29, signed a minor league contract with the Angels throughout the offseason and was added to the major league roster on May 1st. Since then, he has batted 254 times in 68 games. His 9.1% walk rate in that time is impressive, and he’s done an excellent job of avoiding strikeouts, with a 12.2% rate, but he hasn’t caused much damage. He has five home runs and a batting line of.245/.315/.380, which converts to a 94 WRC+. His.263 batting average on balls in play is lower than the league average, but he is one of the league’s slowest runners, with substandard exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard hit rate measures.
That has generally been the recipe for Calhoun. Although he was once one of the league’s top prospects, with 21 home runs in 2019, that was the juiced-ball season, and he’s been significantly less impactful since. From 2020 until the present, he has 857 plate appearances with an 8.4% walk rate and a 12.8% strikeout rate, but just 18 home runs, a batting line of.231/.299/.360, and an 82 wRC+.
Calhoun is not a burner on the basepaths, as previously said, and is not regarded as a strong defensive player. It was originally assumed that he could compensate for those flaws with his hit tool, but he hasn’t delivered enough oomph to do so thus far. He used his final option in 2022, which has caused him to bounce around the league in recent years, spending time with the Rangers, Giants, Yankees, and Angels. With the trade deadline passing, the Halos will have no choice but to place Calhoun on waivers in the coming days.
López, 31, signed a minor league contract with the Halos during the summer. He has played 104 Triple-A games this season, hitting 12 home runs and slashing.274/.333/.421 for an 86 wRC+ in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
There is little in his track record to suggest he will deliver much more than that. He made his Triple-A debut in 2017 and has since played 687 minor league games. During that time, he has a.256/.306/.386 hitting line and a 77 wRC+. His major league history includes seven games with the 2021 Red Sox, during which he hit.154/.214/.308.
However, he has consistently generated double-digit steals throughout his minor league career, including 15 so far this season. He can also play all three outfield positions and three infield spots to the left of first base. Calhoun has been the club’s designated hitter for much of the season, but they can now rotate different players in that position. With López providing more depth across the diamond, they will have some coverage for whoever is the DH on any given day.
