By Taylor Blake Ward, AngelsWin.com Columnist

Tapping into their depth again, the Angels called up Kevin Padlo to fill a corner infield spot with both Anthony Rendon and Gio Urshela going to the injured list, with that depth becoming a key focus for the Angels success in 2023, both over the previous winter and with the upcoming trade deadline.

Padlo becomes the 20th player of 48 the Angels have used in 2023 that was not originally on the Opening Day roster, which isn't uncommon, but was another sign of the depth built by Perry Minasian and his staff over the winter, both internally and externally.

"We're definitely being tested, right?" Minasian said on Tuesday. "If you look out there at what we had Opening Day and what we have out there today -- it's a lot different. We'll be tested the whole year and that's for every team. Not just us."

Depth was a vital focus for the Angels over the winter, as well as prior with the amateur draft and trade deadline in 2021 and 2022. Of the 20 non-Opening Day roster players who have received a callup to the Angels this season, 13 entered the organization via free agency, the draft, or in a trade over the past 24 months, with nine joining the club in the last calendar year.

"We've really dug into the depth quite a bit early in the season," Minasian said. "There's going to be more needs along the way. That's why it takes everybody in the organization to put a club on the field. It's not just about the 26, not just about the 40. You need your player development staff to understand how important it is getting guys ready to play. Your amateur staff to understand how important every pick is and the non-drafted free agents after the draft. You need your international staff to understand how important it is -- I know the players seem far away but they're not that far away in today's game. You definitely need players in quality."

Holding true to his comments, there has been aggression within the organization when it comes to calling up young players, with a newly revamped bullpen filled with four arms who began the season with the Angels Double-A affiliate, Rocket City Trash Pandas, which doesn't include their primary shortstop, Zach Neto, who is now on the injured list with an oblique injury.

"It's not how we scripted it early in the year, but again, you have certain plans and things happen. I commend a lot of the guys that have come up and performed and the work our staff has done to identify those players and develop those players."

The collective group of "Double-A arms" that consist of Sam Bachman, Ben Joyce, Kolton Ingram, and Jose Soriano have seen a combined 3.42 ERA in 23 2/3 innings which includes a blowout debut from Ingram (0.1 IP, 3 ER). That internal depth and production was not present in season's prior.

"They've pitched well," Minasian noted. "There's going to be ups and downs. We saw it this last road trip. Big time ups for some of the young guys and maybe a couple blips in the radar which is going to happen for any young player. Even veteran players. It's how they respond is what I look at and what's important to me. Being in this room and being with this group -- our bullpen especially -- it's a pretty tight group and (Carlos Estevez) leads that. Whether it's (Chris) Devenski, (Jacob) Webb, or Aaron Loup, they're all very, very important for the younger guys and they've been there and done that and they understand there's not always going to be great days but how you bounce back. That's really, really important from a leadership standpoint.

Of note, both Joyce and Neto have been placed on the injured list within the past few weeks, with no timetable set for their return. Minasian noted that this could be a vital time for them as teammates, however, who can learn from the experience.

"I'd love to have them back tomorrow," said Minasian. "Just because they're not on the field doesn't mean they're not a part of the team. They're not going to be there flicking sunflower seeds. I'll tell you that much."

With Neto, Rendon, and Urshela currently on the injured list, with Urshela being out for a "significant" time according to both Minasian and Phil Nevin, the Angels infield depth has been a focus despite coming into the year looking strong on paper. That depth has seen a flurry of hosts fill injured positions between Jake Lamb, Andrew Velazquez, Michael Stefanic, and now Kevin Padlo. That group, which doesn't include 12-year MLB veteran, Daniel Murphy, has a combined 1,509 Major League games worth of experience under their belt, another item that wasn't seen in season's prior.

"(Padlo) has swung the bat really well," Minasian commented when asked about why Padlo received the callup over other candidates, particularly: David Fletcher. "When you look at it, we're facing some left-handed pitching here soon. One today in particular. We feel like he's earned it. He played well early, got hurt, came back, played well.

"(David) Fletcher has played well and I do believe at some point he'll help us. He was out for a significant time with a personal thing where he didn't play for five-six days, but Fletcher is playing well, and I believe he'll definitely help us this year."

Adding to the depth of their infield, the Angels signed veteran Daniel Murphy to a minor league deal out of Independent Ball in hopes of not only bolstering their depth but also adding leadership to their Triple-A core.

"(Murphy) played well in Independent Ball and he's a great guy," Minasian said when asked about the signing. "Somebody that had his career -- for me at least -- and still has the passion to play and goes and plays where he plays and performed well. I think he deserved the opportunity to see what he can do in Triple-A. He's been on winning teams before. He's had some pretty big hits in the past. We'll see what happens. Depth. Anywhere we can find depth again."

While tapping deep into their depth, the Angels have been playing moderately good baseball for the last month while winning 11 of their last 15 games and hovering around a playoff spot, currently holding a wildcard spot on Wednesday morning, five-and-a-half games out of the division lead. Much of that can be credited to the young bullpen arms and depth filling the back end of their lineup while improving the defense.

"It's the same old adage over the last hundred-plus years, right?" Minasian noted. "You pitch, you play defense, you have a chance. I think our defense has significantly improved in a lot of areas. We're not making the same mistakes we made early in the year, which obviously is beneficial to try and win games and we got some big hits. There's been certain players that have performed at different times and carried us at different times. It's a team, right? That's a good sign of a team which is what we try to build here.

"The thing I appreciate and respect and like is the consistency the group goes about it. From the manager to the coaches, nobody gets too emotional. Nobody gets too high; nobody gets too low. It's a pretty tight knit group where when somebody is struggling to a certain extent -- like everybody will over the course of a season -- guys are looking forward to the opportunity to pick that player up, or that coach, or that manager. Everybody has bad days in general so that's good to see."

With their current position in the standings, a focus for the Angels is the trade deadline. Coming with the territory of the trade deadline this season, and some prior, is the looming factor of Shohei Ohtani's impending free agency. Minasian made a direct comment in an indirect style about any potential trade of Ohtani up-to-and-before August 1.

"Watch us play and where we're at in the standings. I've said it before, I'll say it again. We like him. We hope he's here a long time. I think it's pretty self-explanatory with where we're at."

So, what exactly are the Angels looking for at the deadline?

"Everything," Minasian said with a smile. "It's more about us and how do we become the most complete team we can and how to win games in different ways. There's times where you're swinging the bat really well and times you're not. Those are the times you really need to play defense and move runners and do small things. Not necessarily comparing ourselves to anybody else. It's hard because things change by the day. What you have today might not be what you have tomorrow. As much as you plan -- guess what? Plans change. So, you have to be able to adjust and understand the landscape. For me it's any way to get better. If there's an opportunity to improve -- again, I know it's a general answer but I'm being honest whether it's offense, whether it's bullpen, whether it's defense, whether it's pitching rotation wise, whether it's improving the bench, whether it's improving our Triple-A and Double-A depth, we'll look at all suitors."

Minasian jokingly noted during his press conference how tight games have added to the grey hair he's accumulated over the year. However, with the Angels in a position to capitalize on their current standings status as we enter the halfway mark of the season, with an impending postseason berth, Minasian gave attention to the depth of the organization and those that helped create and identify that depth, giving praise to Derek Watson (Pro Scouting Director), Tim McIlvaine (Amateur Scouting Director), Joey Prebinski (Farm Director), and Brian Parker (International Scouting Director).

"As a group there's obviously a lot of work done behind the scenes that people aren't privy to see. Decisions made and certain things that change careers or change organizations. These jobs are 24/7/365. Anybody that's in these jobs that are so competitive and there's so many intelligent people that have a passion for the game. You have to be somewhat of a lunatic to be honest with you. I fit that profile pretty good."

In the middle of a pivotal season for the Angels franchise, the hopes can only lean to that "somewhat of a lunatic" passion for the game can add to the depth and building of the Major League roster and a potential postseason appearance.