The Angels have designated veteran Jonathan Villar for assignment, per the team. The move makes room for Magneuris Sierra, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.
This is the second time this season that Villar finds himself designated for assignment. He began the year with the Cubs, but the utility man hit just .222/.271/.327 in 166 plate appearances. He didn’t fare much better with the Angels, hitting just .163/.226/.224 across 54 plate appearances.
Coincidentally, the 31-year-old made two errors in Saturday night's ballgame, and while that alone would not be the reason to DFA Villar, the bat-first Villar has long been viewed as a subpar defender, despite his versatility. With the Angels all but out of postseason contention, they may prefer to use the roster spot on someone with a longer-term future in Los Angeles.
Sierra, 26, isn’t necessarily that guy, but he does bring a little more youth to the roster. The speedy outfielder has not yet appeared in the majors this season after spending the last four campaigns with the Marlins. Sierra has earned his opportunity with solid play in Triple-A where he has slashed .297/.358/.437 in 311 plate appearances.
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