The Los Angeles Angels released recently-acquired reliever Joey Lucchesi after three consecutive poor performances.
The Los Angeles Angels made what turned out to be a significant bullpen move over the weekend as they designated reliever Joey Lucchesi for assignment, according to a report from Nick Deeds of MLBTradeRumors.com.
If it seems like this is happening quickly, that’s because it is. Lucchesi was just acquired by the Angels after being released by the San Francisco Giants, and the Halos thought they had a reliever who would be around for a while as they continue to shuffle bullpen pieces.
Not so much, as it turns out. Lucchesi’s ERA in his first three appearances for the Angels produced an unacceptable 7.71, so they let him go. The Angels now have a week to try to work out a trade for him or pass him through waivers, and if he makes it through waivers unclaimed Lucchesi can elect free agency and return to the open market.
The move opened up an opportunity for George Klassen to make his MLB debut with a start against the Seattle Mariners yesterday, but it didn’t go well. Klassen struck out five, but he also walked four and gave up two runs while failing to make it through the third inning, and Angels manager Kurt Suzuki ended up pulling the plug on Klassen’s start to limit the damage.
That decision turned out to be important because it kept the Angels in the game, and they ended up winning an 8-7 thriller in 11 innings on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Nolan Schanuel.
That doesn’t mean the Angels are giving up on Klassen, however. He had a strong spring, and Suzuki seemed to be comforting the rookie as he took him out. Striking out five Mariners is a big deal, and the Angels believe in Klassen’s stuff after acquiring him from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Carlos Estevez trade back in 2024.
Klassen’s role looks to be that of a spot starter, but there are a lot of moving parts in pieces in the back half of the rotation right now. Left-hander Reid Detmers looks to be making a successful transition from reliever to starter, and Jack Kochanowiz pitched 5-2/3 innings of shutout ball on Saturday against Seattle, albeit with some important defensive assists from right fielder Jo Adell.
The Angels may end up sending Klassen down for some more seasoning, and his Triple-A starts have included an impressive strikeout rate of 28.9 percent. The Angels may have a weapon if they can harness that aspect of Klassen’s stuff, although his next start isn’t currently scheduled and the Angels may try him in long relief to take some of the pressure off.