The Angels announced a series of moves ahead of Sunday’s game against the Royals, the most notable of which was the closer. Jordan Romano by share. The team chose a left-hander Joey Lucchesi to take his place. The right hand Shaun Anderson it is also designed for assignment, and it is correct Jose Fermin he was remembered. On the batting side, the catcher Logan O’Hoppe was placed on 10-day IL with a broken wrist. Sebastian Rivero he was reinstated in O’Hoppe’s place.
Injury to Ben Joyce, Robert Stephensonagain Kirby Yates put Romano in the closer role to start the year. He debuted as a 9th inning option, picking up four saves in addition to six scoreless appearances to open the campaign. Romano allowed just two runners in that span, both of which came on walks.
The wheels are off. Romano had a disastrous series against the Yankees that included five earned runs, two blown saves, and one hit. He had a brief recovery in two minor league games, then hit a four-run homer against the Royals on Saturday. Romano was pulled in the middle of the inning by a fielder Adam Frazier.
Romano emerged as one of the top closers in the game against the Blue Jays. He collected 95 saves from 2021 to 2023, earning an All-Star selection. An elbow injury hurt his 2024 season, and he hasn’t been the same since. Romano had an 8.23 ERA for the Phillies last year. He came to the Angels on a one-year, $2MM deal. His time with the team ended after just eight innings.
Lucchesi joined the organization in late March after being released by the Giants. He ended up breaking away from the camp with the Angels. The veteran lefty allowed two earned runs over three appearances. He walked four and struck out two over 2 1/3 innings. Lucchesi was designated for assignment and elected to free agency in early April, but returned to the organization on a minor league deal.
Fermin has been up and down with the big league club for most of 2025. He compiled an average ERA in the 4.00s with a solid 25.7% strikeout rate in 40 appearances. Fermin has a great fastball, but control has been an issue. The righty posted a whopping 15.1% walk rate in 34 1/3 innings.
Anderson has scored 11 runs in nine games out of the bullpen. The 31-year-old was not as effective as he was at the club last year. He didn’t break camp with the team, but he was in the lead before the end of March. Lucchesi will likely step into Anderson’s multi-tasking role.
O’Hoppe was ruled out of Saturday’s contest with what was initially described as wrist irritation. He took a nasty pitch to the wrist in the seventh inning, but stayed to finish the frame. Travis d’Arnaud replaced him in the eighth inning. The veteran d’Arnaud will likely take most of the reps behind the plate, with Rivero backing him up. Rivero appeared in 11 games for the Angels last season. He hit .172 in 107 MLB plate appearances.
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
