Angels Designate Drew Pomeranz For Assignment

The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Brett Kerry and recalled right-hander José Fermín from Triple-A Salt Lake. In corresponding moves, they have placed right-hander Grayson Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list with low back inflammation and designated left-hander Drew Pomeranz for assignment.

Pomeranz, now 37, was once one of the best relief pitchers in the league. Unfortunately, injuries prevented him from pitching in the majors for three straight years from 2022 to 2024. He had a great comeback with the Cubs last year, posting a 2.17 earned run average in 49 2/3 innings, striking out 28.1% of opponents while only giving out walks at a 7.4% pace.

The Halos gave Pomeranz a $4MM deal for 2026, betting that he could keep it rolling. They have lost that bet. Pomeranz has given them 23 1/3 innings this year, around a minimal IL stint in May for elbow inflammation, with a 5.01 ERA. He might even be lucky to have that number where it is. His 14.8% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate are both awful figures. His .274 batting average on balls in play and 78.1% strand rate are a bit to the fortunate side, which is why his 6.32 FIP and 5.45 SIERA are even higher than his actual ERA.

He now heads into DFA limbo. The Angels can try to work out a trade but it’s hard to imagine him garnering much interest considering his performance this year, his salary, his age and his health history. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment while keeping his salary in place. The Halos might skip that formality and release him.

Assuming he ends up on the open market in the coming days, the Halos will be on the hook for the remainder of the money he’s owed. Another club could sign him and would only have to pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Angels pay.

The news on Rodriguez is also notable for the Halos. They have been without Yusei Kikuchi for almost two months due to shoulder inflammation. Jack Kochanowicz required Tommy John surgery this month. Now Rodriguez lands on the IL, further undercutting their rotation. The club is currently tied with the Royals in the basement of the American League with matching 29-43 records. Thanks to several other clubs struggling, they are technically only 6.5 games back of a playoff spot but making gains will be tough with this rotation picture.

Their current group consists of Walbert Ureña, Reid Detmers, Sam Aldegheri and José Soriano. They only have one off-day between now and July 6th, so they will need to figure out some kind of replacement for Rodriguez in the coming days.

That could be Kerry. A fifth-round pick from 2021, he has continued to work as a starter as he has climbed the minor league ladder. He has generally received more praise for his command than his stuff, as his fastball sits in the low-90s. He has been able to make his arsenal work in the lower levels, mixing in a cutter, slider, curveball and changeup, but has been torched at Triple-A, where the Salt Lake Bees play in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Kerry has a 6.89 ERA in 271 2/3 innings at that level.

It’s unclear if the Halos plan on giving Kerry some starts or if he is in the bullpen as long relief. Since this is his first call to the majors, he has a full slate of major league options and could be easily sent down in a few days, if need be. The Angels have George Klassen and Caden Dana on optional assignment at Triple-A and could call up one of those two, though Klassen has a 5.53 ERA in Triple-A this year and Dana 5.66. Taijuan Walker, Alek Manoah, Huascar Ynoa and Shaun Anderson are non-roster options with some major league experience.