Hunter

Strickland

Strickland has bounced back-and-forth between the open market and the Angels organization over the last few months. The 37-year-old journeyman was in camp with Los Angeles as a non-roster invitee this spring. There’s a chance he’s back with the Angels shortly on a new deal.

This is the second time the Angels have brought Strickland back into their organization on a minor league deal since the beginning of February. The 37-year-old had a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings for them in the first half of last season before shoulder inflammation shut him down for the remainder of the year. He will report to Triple-A Salt Lake City be organizational depth for the club.

The Angels have presumably let Strickland walk after he failed to make their season-opening bullpen. The 37-year-old veteran was in camp as a non-roster invitee. He compiled an encouraging 1.80 ERA and 2/0 K/BB ratio over five innings of work this spring.

The 37-year-old Strickland had a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings for the Angels in the first half of last season before shoulder inflammation shut him down for the remainder of the year. He also had a 3.31 ERA in 73 1/3 inning for the Angels in 2024, so if healthy, he should have a decent chance of earning a job in middle relief.

The procedural move opens up a spot on Los Angeles’ 40-man roster for reliever Carson Fulmer. The 36-year-old veteran hit the shelf earlier this week with right shoulder inflammation and will be sidelined into early September. There’s a strong chance his season is over.

No word yet on the severity of the issue, which will determine how much time Strickland misses. The 36-year-old veteran righty has made 19 relief appearances for the Angels since signing with the club back on May 18.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth in a tie game tonight. It should have been Brock Burke’s save, but Zach Neto bobbled a grounder and made a wild throw on what would have been the final play of the game. Strickland then took over and got Anthony Volpe to roll a ball to third to end it. A great surprise for the Angels, Strickland has yet to allow a run in 14 1/3 innings since being called up last month. Still, he’s probably not going to be in line for more save chances unless something happens to Jansen.

Strickland’s arrival fortifies Los Angeles’ relief depth ahead of Sunday’s showdown against the Dodgers. The 36-year-old journeyman latched on with the Angels earlier this month on a minor league contract after being cut loose by the Rangers. He compiled a solid 3.31 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 57/24 K/BB ratio across 73 1/3 innings (72 appearances) last year for the Angels.

Strickland returns to Los Angeles after being released earlier this week by the Rangers. The 36-year-old veteran reliever registered a respectable 3.31 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 57/24 K/BB ratio across 73 1/3 innings (72 appearances) last year for the Angels. He figures to return to the big leagues at some point in the coming weeks.

Strickland was technically released by the Rangers on Friday evening, but in truth he opted out. He comes back to Texas, and will assuredly have another potential opt-out if the Rangers don’t add him to the active roster.