Angels Select Sammy Peralta

The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Sammy Peralta. The 40-man roster had a couple of vacancies, so he can slot into one of those. To open an active roster spot, right-hander Shaun Anderson has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Prior to the official announcement, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com noted that Peralta had a locker in the clubhouse.

Peralta, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Halos in June. He had just elected free agency after being outrighted by the Rockies. Since then, he has thrown 16 1/3 innings for Triple-A Salt Lake, allowing 17 earned runs.

That gives him an ugly 9.37 earned run average for the Bees, but that’s a small sample of work and masks how well he has pitched. HIs 22.9% strikeout rate in that time is around average but his 4.8% walk rate and 48.2% ground ball rate are both good figures. A massive .491 batting average on balls in play and a small 50.6% strand rate have contributed a lot to that ERA.

Peralta has 32 big league games under his belt already, including five with the Halos last year, with a 5.40 ERA. His 17.9% strikeout rate, 11.4% walk rate and 39.6% ground ball rate are all subpar figures. Anderson’s injury will give Peralta a chance to improve upon those numbers. Peralta still has an option remaining, so he could be sent right back to Triple-A if things don’t work out or the club just needs a fresh arm.