Aug 30, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels first baseman Oswald Peraza (10) drives in two runs with an RBI double during the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Angels Trade Deadline Addition Turning Heads With Sudden Hot Streak

Originally posted on Los Angeles Angels on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Oswald Peraza came to the Los Angeles Angels with the hopes of reviving his career.

Once a highly-touted prospect with the New York Yankees, Peraza had a very uneven stint in the Bronx before eventually being jettisoned to the West Coast this past July. The Yankees had given up on the talented infielder — though the Halos saw the framework of a player that could develop into something special.

Oswald Peraza hits his first @Angels home run as three pitchers combine on a 2-hit shutout. pic.twitter.com/Xt7ePutEBd
— MLB (@MLB) August 31, 2025

The early returns have not been overly promising. In 27 at-bats with the Angels, the Venezuelan has five hits and nine strikeouts. However, if one's operating with the sense of small victories, Peraza appears to be turning things around.

Interim manager Ray Montgomery has been especially pleased with how hard Peraza has been working since being acquired in July. He echoed this premise after a recent game.

“The guy’s been working since the day he got here,” Montgomery said. “And the idea of getting him in there and getting him some ABs and then seeing that was really nice to see. Obviously, it was a first pitch slider, and he drove it out to right center field, off a pretty good arm.”

In a two-game stint versus the rival Astros in Houston this past weekend, Peraza had three hits and three runs batted in across five at-bats — including a homer against talented starting pitcher Hunter Brown. It marked the first long ball Peraza has hit as a member of the Halos.

Oswald Peraza takes Hunter Brown deep for his first home run as an Angel! pic.twitter.com/wPa7xjoLa4
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 31, 2025

This is a microscopic sample size. However, given how Peraza has struggled with both the Yankees and Angels this year, he'll take what he can get.

The hopes are that the 25-year-old can use this as a springboard towards reviving a once-promising career. The Angels did have hopes of competing for a playoff spot after starting off the year far better than anyone expected them to.

However, as of September 2, the Angels are 8.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. Barring a major collapse from those teams ahead of them, coupled with a ridiculous run of form, Los Angeles will miss the playoffs once again.

The silver lining in all of this is the fact that the team can view its younger players (such as Peraza) in a low-pressure situation where they'll garner experience. In theory, this will better suit the ballclub moving forward when analyzing how they can improve and also in terms of what the future will look like with some of these players.