The Angels will designate a first baseman/outfielder Willie Calhoun to get a share, according to ESPN's Alden González on X. Infielder/outfielder Jack López is called, according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN on X.
Calhoun, 29, signed a minor league contract with the Angels at the start of the season and was designated to the major league roster on the first day of May. Since then, he has stepped up to the plate 254 times in 68 games. His 9.1% walk rate in that span is solid and he's done a pretty good job of avoiding strikeouts, just a 12.2% rate, but he hasn't done much damage. He has five home runs and his .245/.315/.380 batting line translates to a 94 wRC+. His .263 batting average on balls in play is below the league average, but he is one of the slowest runners in the league and has subpar metrics in terms of exit velocity, slugging rate and strikeout rate.
That's often been the recipe with Calhoun. Although he was once one of the top prospects in the league and had a 21 home run season in 2019, that was a juicy ball season and he has had very little impact since. He has made 857 plate appearances so far in 2020 with an 8.4% walk rate and a 12.8% strikeout rate but just 18 home runs, a .231/.299/.360 batting line and 82 wRC+.
Calhoun is not a street burner, as stated, and is not considered a solid defender. It was thought that he could make up for that shortcoming with his hit tool but he hasn't provided enough shots to make that happen so far. He exercised his final option in 2022, which led to him bouncing around the league in recent years, spending time with the Rangers, Giants, Yankees and Angels. With the trade deadline passed, the Halos will have no choice but to place Calhoun on waivers in the coming days.
López, 31, signed a minor league deal with Halos at the start of the season. He played in 104 Triple-A games this year, hitting 12 home runs and slashing .274/.333/.421 with an 86 wRC+ in the friendly Pacific Coast League.
There's not much in his track record to suggest he'll provide much more than that. He first reached Triple-A in 2017 and has played 687 minor league games since that year. During that time, he has a .256/.306/.386 batting line and a 77 wRC+. His major league experience includes seven games with the 2021 Red Sox and he hit .154/.214/.308 in those.
However, he has consistently provided double-digit steals during his minor league career, including 15 so far this year. He is also able to play all three outfield positions and all three left field positions at first base. Calhoun has been the team's hitter for most of the year but now they can rotate different players in that position. With López giving them more depth all over the diamond, they will have some cover for whoever is the DH on a given day.
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