3 Angels who don’t deserve to be on the 40-man roster

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The Los Angeles Angels 40-man roster is maxed out. In addition to those 40 players heading to Tempe for spring training, the Halos have another several non-roster invitees who'll be on the field when pitchers and catchers report next week.

While the Angels fanbase is still reeling from losing the reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, the club has made some measured improvements to the roster this winter. Robert Stephenson and Aaron Hicks will help, plus the Halos were able to retain left-handed reliever Matt Moore.

However, despite the offseason additions, some of which required a corresponding subtraction, there are some players currently on Los Angeles' roster who don't belong. Which three players don't deserve to be the Angels 40-man roster?

These Angels players don't deserve to be on current 40-man roster

Andrew Wantz, RHP

Andrew Wantz's claim to fame was plunking Jesse Winker in 2021 which led to a benches-clearing brawl between the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners. While Wantz no longer deserves to be part of the Angels' 40-man roster, he's at least had more success than Winker since that incident.

Wantz adds depth to the Angels roster, but had an inconsistent 2023 campaign. The right-hander was shuttled between Triple-A Salt Lake and the Halos active roster last season. Ironically, Wantz had better numbers in the big leagues than he did in the minors. Wantz was 2-0 with a 3.89 ERA in 27 games with the Angels, but posted a 4.62 ERA in 22 relief appearances with the Salt Lake Bees.

Entering his age 28 season, the Angels would seem to have some younger pitching prospects they'd prefer to work into a more permanent role with the club ahead of the upcoming season. Pitchers like Nick Jones, Eric Torres, and Travis MacGregor will be looking to make an impression this spring, and that could come at the detriment of Wantz.

With minor-league options remaining, it's possible that Los Angeles takes the path of least resistance and sends Wantz back to Triple-A to begin the year. But if any of the Halos' non-roster invitees or top pitching prospects makes a push to land on the Opening Day roster, the right-hander will likely be one of the first players dismissed.

Jimmy Herget, RHP

Jimmy Herget had two previous stops before landing on the Los Angeles Angels roster. Herget was originally drafted in the 22nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds and made his debut for them in 2019. His time in the Queen City was short-lived, however, as he was designated for assignment the following offseason.

Herget then landed with the Texas Rangers organization for over a year before signing a minor-league deal with the Halos in 2021. Herget had a very successful campaign for Los Angeles in 2022. With his awkward release point, Herget was able to keep the opposition off balance to the tune of a 2.28 ERA and 0.913 WHIP in 69 innings of work that season.

But the wheels fell off in 2023. Herget's up-and-down campaign saw him yo-yo'd between Triple-A Salt Lake and the major leagues. Herget posted almost identical ERAs at both locations, but was tattooed during his 29 appearances for the Angels last season. Herget allowed 10.2 hits per nine innings pitched, which was a stark contrast from the year before when that number was sitting at 6.3.

Jimmy Herget still has minor-league options remaining, so just like Andrew Wantz, Los Angeles could decide to send him down to Triple-A to begin the season. Herget is going to have to play well above his stats from a season ago in order to remain on the Angels' 40-man roster.

Kenny Rosenberg, LHP

Kenny Rosenberg isn't going to blow you away with his Statcast metrics. According to Baseball Savant, Rosenberg's fastball ranks only in the 10th percentile with an average velocity of 90.7 mph. Rosenberg relies, instead, on soft contact. Being a left-handed pitcher works in Rosenberg's favor, but even that might not be enough to save his 40-man roster spot.

Rosenberg came to Los Angeles in December of 2021 by way of the minor-league phase Rule 5 Draft. After falling short of expectations with the Tampa Bay Rays organization, Rosenberg found a second chance with the Angels.

While his cup of coffee with the big league club can offer some optimism, Rosenberg has a history of missing the strike zone. Even during his brief time with the Halos in 2023, Rosenberg walked 14 batters in 33 innings.

That's not going to cut it coming out of a major league bullpen. It's also a problem that's plagued Rosenberg the past two seasons in the minors. During that span, the southpaw has walked 10% of the batters he's faced. In the majors, that number jumps to 10.4%.

While Rosenberg had success against lefties last season, he was absolutely pummeled by right-handed bats. Of Rosenberg's 14 earned runs allowed in 2023, 12 came off right-handed hitters. With the three-batter minimum, the days of the LOOGY are over.

The Angels re-signed Matt Moore and traded for Tyler Thomas. Those two lefties make Rosenberg expendable heading into the 2024. It's going to take a Herculean effort for Rosenberg to remain on the Angels 40-man roster.

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These Angels players don't deserve to be on current 40-man roster

Andrew Wantz, RHP

Jimmy Herget, RHP

Kenny Rosenberg, LHP

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