ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels recalled Victor Mederos from High-A Tri-City and designated José Cisnero for assignment on Sunday.
The Angels called up Mederos for the first time this season in hopes that he can provide some much-needed length, despite the rough patches he’s experienced in the minors.
“He’s got length, and he’s got stuff,” said Angels Manager Ron Washington. “Right now, we are searching for length, and we think his stuff is capable of playing. We just have to see how he handles it when he goes out there. We needed some length, and we looked down, and he was the guy.”
Mederos, 23, was the Angels round six pick in the 2022 draft and made his MLB debut last year on June 30. During his short stint in the majors, the right-hander pitched three innings in relief, posting a 9.00 ERA and allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. He was sent back to the minors shortly after.
The Oklahoma State University alum has spent most of his pro career in Double-A Rocket City, where he started 20 games last season and achieved a 5.67 ERA. This year with the Trash Pandas, he posted a 6.39 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 48 walks in 88 2/3 innings before he was demoted to High-A Tri-City. In 21 starts split between Double-A and High-A, Mederos went 4-9 with a 6.56 ERA. In his last outing against the Everett AquaSox on Aug. 13, Mederos pitched six innings, allowing six runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Cisnero, who had been recovering from a shoulder injury since April, returned from the injured list on Saturday. He was DFA’d after he pitched 1 2/3 innings against the Braves and allowed a run on one hit.
Possible Changes in Pitching
On Saturday, the Angels placed José Soriano on the 15-day injured list with right arm fatigue, meaning that the the club will need to rethink its starting rotation strategy. Washington said there are plenty of candidates who could get the call to step up, including Reid Detmers.
Detmers, who was sent to Triple-A earlier this season to work on his command, has shown progress in the minors. In his last start on Aug. 16, he allowed one run in eight innings. Washington said he’s among the pitchers who the team will be looking at, but no decisions have been made yet.
“Well, when you look down in our minor leagues, we got quite a few candidates. And of course, we’re not going to say Detmers is not on that list, but a decision on that hasn't been made,” said Washington. “He is a big leaguer. It's just a matter of him finding some consistency. And that's where I'm going to leave it. Detmers is a big leader.”
