OC Register: SoCal product David Fletcher gets first promotion to Angels after sizzling start at Triple-A

[AngelsWin.com]

SEATTLE — David Fletcher’s torrid season at Triple-A finally earned him his first promotion to the major leagues.

The Angels recalled Fletcher on Tuesday after they placed Jefry Marte on the disabled list with a sprained left wrist.

“David has come a long way,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He had great springs for us, for a couple years, and he really put some things together in Triple-A. He’s done a lot of things well on the baseball field. Hopefully, he’ll come up here and contribute.”

Fletcher, a 24-year-old product of Cypress High and Loyola Marymount, was hitting .350 with six homers and a .953 OPS at Salt Lake City.

Fletcher, who hadn’t even arrived at the ballpark by the time the Angels began batting practice, was not in the lineup on Tuesday. He is likely to start when the Angels face a left-handed pitcher on Wednesday. They are also expecting to see at least one lefty over the weekend in Oakland.

Fletcher is primarily a second baseman, but he can also play shortstop and third. At the moment, third seems to be where he’s needed, with Zack Cozart moved over to shortstop to fill in for injured Andrelton Simmons.

“I think he’s the best guy for this situation,” Scioscia said. “He will certainly add a lot of depth to our infield with his versatility. He will get a chance to play.”

Other than Cozart and Ian Kinsler as the current everyday players up the middle, the Angels now have a variety of options at the corners. They have left-handed hitters Luis Valbuena, José Fernandez and Nolan Fontana, and the right-handed Albert Pujols and Fletcher.

Although many fans would certainly love to see Fletcher get a shot to play every day, considering his success at Triple-A, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards at the moment.

“You might say it’s not ideal to have young players who aren’t out there hitting every day, but there is still a role for them to help us win games,” Scioscia said.

As for Marte, Scioscia said he’s not sure how long he will be out. He hurt his wrist on Monday night when he reached into the running line of Dee Gordon to make a catch at first base. Marte was in a splint on Tuesday. He will be re-evaluated when the Angels get back to Southern California next week.

ALSO

Eduardo Paredes was optioned to make room for Jaime Barría, who was activated to start on Tuesday. …

Blake Wood was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Fletcher. Wood had season-ending elbow surgery last month. …

The Angels will have their second Facebook-only telecast of the season on Wednesday afternoon.

UP NEXT

Angels (Garrett Richards, 4-4, 3.26) at Mariners (Marco Gonzales, 7-3, 3.28), Wednesday, 1 p.m., Facebook Watch, KLAA (830 AM)

Related Articles

• Angels’ Mike Trout begins march toward another All-Star Game
• Despite Mike Trout’s 2 homers, Angels lose opener to Mariners
• Whicker: Bruce Kison lived a high-and-tight baseball life
• No change in Shohei Ohtani’s status with Angels; no plan for surgery at this point
• Albert Pujols passes Stan Musial on career RBI list with perfect timing

View the full article