Angels top prospect pressed into action after another Vaughn Grissom setback

Vaughn Grissom has been a bit of a spark plug for the Los Angeles Angels lineup of late. Grissom's .735 OPS and 104 wRC+ through 155 plate appearances doesn't inspire a ton of confidence, but he seems to always be in the middle of the Angels' rallies when they occur.

That made the recent injury news surrounding Grissom a bit troubling. The infielder has been held of action the past couple of days while dealing with pain in his side. Grissom was said to suffered the injury during batting practice a few days ago, and now his potential trip to the IL could involve a silver lining that might result in an exciting prospect promotion.

Angels call up Denzer Guzman following Vaughn Grissom's injury

Though it hasn't been officially announced by the team, the Angels are reportedly calling up top infield prospect Denzer Guzman. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki description of Grissom's injury after Sunday's game lends credence to the notion that he'll be headed to the IL and Guzman will be the likely replacement.

Guzman has been relatively mediocre at the plate the last few years, but it seems that he has figured things out as Triple-A Salt Lake this season. In 58 games, he boasts a .974 OPS with 12 homers while playing very sound defense across the infield. The 22-year-old has an absolute cannon for an arm.

Guzman's performance from Triple-A may not exactly translate to the big leagues right from the start, though it wouldn't be a crazy thought to assume he could be as valuable, if not more so, than Grissom. Guzman's ability to impact the baseball is a sharp contrast to Grissom's somewhat notorious slap-hitting ways.

What the Angels do next will be quite interesting. Grissom won't be out forever, and the Angels' infield has a lot of question marks in it at the moment. With Guzman receiving the call, fans may begin to see the beginning of a real shift in the team's overall roster. How far they are willing to push the envelope will be the next question the team has to answer.

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