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Angels Select Logan Porter To Step In As Backup Catcher After Rivero Injury
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- Angels Select Logan Porter To Step In As Backup Catcher After Rivero Injury
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
TheLos Angeles Angels are set to select the contract of catcher Logan Porter , according to a report from Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com , with the report referencing information from Ari Alexander of 7News. Porter signed a minor league deal with the Angels last week after choosing free agency over an outright assignment with the San Francisco Giants .
The move was precipitated by an injury to Sebastian Rivero in last night's game against the Houston Astros . The backup catcher is being a evaluated today to assess the severity of the injury, and he will now be placed on the IL with what's believed to be a left hamate fracture.
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Porter, who is 30, will join the Angels immediately due to the shortage of catchers and catching depth. Logan O'Hoppe took Rivero's place after the injury, but the Halos still need at least one more backup catcher behind him.
This will be Porter's third big league team, according to Adams. He played briefly with both the Giants and the Kansas City Royals , but he hasn't played much with just 47 plate appearances in MLB. His slash line is extremely low, but he's been slightly better at the Triple-A level. He does know the strike zone, as he's walked at a percentage of 14.4 in over 1200 Triple-A plate appearances, the writer added.
Porter has also thrown out an average of about 22% of the runners who attempted to steal against him in the minors. He's considered excellent at framing pitchers with slightly below average blocking ability.
The Angels have gone through a lot of catchers this year, so Porter is now part of a chain. He'll be the fifth catcher the Angels have used so far, with the other two being Omar Martinez and Travis d'Arnaud. Porter still has minor league options , so the Angels have some flexibility when either d'Arnaud or Rivero get healthy and are ready to return to the lineup.
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This move was also tied to a series of injuries that either occurred or surfaced after last nights game against the Astros. In addition to Rivero going on the IL, the Angels lost starter Jack Kochanowicz , who will now have Tommy John surgery and missed the rest of this year and possibly all of next season as well.
The Angels also lost first baseman Nolan Schanuel , who was hit by a pitch in the first inning in their 10-1 win, but he had to leave the game after that due to calf tightness. Nearly everything else has gone wrong for the Angels this season, and now they've been hit by a sudden rash of injuries.
