Angels designate Lucroy for assignment
The Los Angeles Angels designated veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy for assignment, the team announced on Friday.
Catcher Max Stassi, who was acquired from the Houston Astros in a deadline-day trade, was activated in a corresponding move.
Lucroy just returned to action after missing over two weeks with a concussion and broken nose suffered during a violent home-plate collision with Houston's Jake Marisnick on July 7. He appeared in only one game - a 2-for-4 performance on July 31 - between his activation from the injured list and Friday's transaction.
The 33-year-old inked a one-year, $3.35-million deal with the Angels this winter, but he failed to rediscover his old form in Anaheim. He slashed just .242/.310/.371 with seven homers, 16 extra-base hits, and 39 strikeouts in 268 plate appearances, while his minus-0.2 WAR ranked 30th among catchers with at least 200 plate appearances.
Lucroy is just the latest veteran signing from this past offseason that failed to live up to expectations for the Halos.
The Angels spent $34.35 million in free agency on Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, Cody Allen, Jonathan Lucroy and Justin Bour.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 2, 2019
Harvey: released
Cahill: demoted to bullpen
Allen: released (now with Twins)
Lucroy: DFA’d
Bour: demoted to Triple-A
He was once one of the best catchers in baseball, earning a pair of All-Star selections with the Milwaukee Brewers, and also finishing fourth in NL MVP voting in 2014. However, his stock has fallen dramatically over the last three years on both sides of the ball.
| BA | OPS | HR | RBI | DRS | wRC+ | WAR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-16 | .284 | .784 | 90 | 418 | 98 | 112 | 37.1 |
| 2017-19 | .250 | .670 | 17 | 121 | -40 | 78 | -1.1 |
The Angels spoke with teams about trading Lucroy before the deadline but were unable to find a taker, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
Los Angeles now has seven days to waive, release, or outright Lucroy to the minors. Though he can't be traded, Lucroy could join another team via waivers or free agency. He'll need to do that by Aug. 31 to be eligible for the playoffs.
Stassi, who was acquired from Houston for two prospects just before the trade deadline, will presumably split catching duties with Kevan Smith for the rest of the season. The 28-year-old California native slashed .167/.235/.211 in 31 games with Houston this year.
The Angels also announced on Friday that left-hander Adam McCreery has been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake after clearing waivers.