May 8, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell (7) is presented a fire fighter helmet by center fielder Kyren Paris (19) as manager Ron Washington watches after hitting a home run in the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Why Did Angels Keep Jo Adell Over Kyren Paris to Make Room for Chris Taylor?

Originally posted on Los Angeles Angels on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated May 28, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Angels made the bold move of adding utility man Chris Taylor to the team, and chose to demote Kyren Paris rather than Jo Adell to make room for the veteran.

The Angels were looking for a veteran utility player and when the Los Angeles Dodgers released Chris Taylor due to roster issues, the Halos jumped at the opportunity to add an experienced bat.

The move came with a sacrifice, with the team forced to demote young utility player Kyren Paris, who got off to a hot start but has been slumping hard for the month of May.

There were also some contractual factors that made the team choose to send down Paris over Adell.

Adell is out of options, which would mean the team would have to release him in order to make room for Taylor.

Many of you asking this. Although Paris still has better numbers (slightly) for the season, in May (see below) Adell was slightly better. And Adell is out of options and Paris isn't.

Paris would have to be *significantly* better to justify losing Adell entirely. https://t.co/wUe5ygYrz5 pic.twitter.com/QAd6tzdNtO
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) May 26, 2025

Instead, it made more sense for the franchise to send Paris down to the minors to work on his swing, while Adell gets to establish himself on the roster.

Adell has not been hitting drastically better for the season, but he has significantly more power in his bat and hit better than Paris during the month of May.

On the season, based on their WAR, Paris, despite his cold streak at the plate, is still above replacement level, just slightly, while Adell sits at -0.5 due to his poor fielding and inconsistent bat.

At only 23 years old, Paris has plenty of time to figure out his game, while Adell, now 26, needs to secure a place in the team's future soon.

More Angels news:

Angels Insider Provides Update on Pitcher Who Was Hit in the Head by Line Drive

Angels Manager Pushes For His Young Superstar to Make All-Star Team

For more Angels news head over to Angels on SI.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Angels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: