The Los Angeles Angels claimed yet another player off waivers, adding right-handed Kaleb Ort, who had previously been designated for assignment by the New York Yankees, with both announcements reported by Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors .com.
In a subsequent corresponding move, the Angels also designated outfielder Wade Meckler for assignment just weeks after picking him up from the San Francisco Giants.
The hard-throwing Ort has become a well-traveled pitcher in the last few weeks. He actually posted good numbers for the Houston Astros in 2024, according to Adams, but he struggled in 2025, and his combined numbers for the two seasons include a 4.08 ERA with a 26.1% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 38.2% ground-ball rate.
Walks and homers have been Ort’s big problems throughout the 34-year old reliever’s career. He surrendered 15 homes runs in just 70-2/3 innings for the Astros over these two seasons, and a total of 25 in just 122-1/3 innings for his career.
Those numbers won’t stop him from getting a tryout with the Angels, but Ort is out of minor league options, so if he struggles or fails, he’s almost certainly gone. The Angels are his third organization in three weeks, with Houston also designating him for assignment in January per Adams.
Ort’s other big issue is the status of newly-signed Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada, with his signing forcing a roster move that could put the pitcher on the move again.
As for Meckler, his “we hardly knew ye” moment for Angels fans is now over without him making single appearance for the team. He came up through the Giants system, but the outfielder struggled in his initial time in MLB, posting a slash line of .232/.328/.250 over just 20 games and 64 plate appearances.
He’s hit well at Triple A since being sent back down, but Meckler won’t get his second shot with the Angels. Originally the Halos were going to give him a spring training tryout based on his positional versatility, and he does have a single minor league option available, according to Adams.
Assuming Ort actually gets to spring training, he’ll get to work with new Angels pitching coach Mike Maddux, but that feels like a coin flip right now. Plenty of pitching coaches have tried to figure out a way to harness Ort’s velocity, but no one has been able to help him get his walk rate down or keep the ball in the park.