5 LA Angels players who could get DFA'd before the end of the season

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The Los Angeles Angels have had to make a slew of roster moves this season just to be where they are right now. The spot the Halos are in right now is not an ideal one.

They did salvage their series in both Houston and Texas by winning the final game, but the Angels are 60-62 on the year, 7.0 games back of the final Wild Card spot. A big reason this team has struggled so much is because of the abundance of players on the Injured List. It's certainly frustrating to see this team so banged up, but a large number of the players who are out will be coming back.

Logan O'Hoppe has already begun his rehab assignment. Mike Trout appears to be nearing a return. Guys like Anthony Rendon and Zach Neto don't have exact timetables for their returns but are expected back.

Once players return from the IL, they'll have to replace those not only on the 26-man roster, but players with 40-man roster spots are in jeopardy. Here're five players who could not only lose their 26-man spot, but their spot on the 40-man.

1) LA Angels catcher Chad Wallach could be DFA'd before the end of the season

Chad Wallach is a fairly obvious answer to this question. Logan O'Hoppe is on his way back, and the chances the Angels carry three catchers when he does come back are slim to none. With that in mind, the Angels have two options for who O'Hoppe's backup should be. Matt Thaiss is one option, and Chad Wallach is the other.

Both catchers got off to very hot starts offensively, and both have cooled down over the last couple of months. Thaiss is slashing .172/.295/.290 with five home runs and 16 RBI since June 1. Wallach is slashing .175/.250/.338 with three home runs and five RBI since June 1. Neither has proven they deserve to be on the MLB roster over the last couple of months.

To make this decision more difficult, neither player has options. This means in order to remove one of them off of the 26-man roster, they'd have to be DFA'd. Wallach is three years older and has been the backup for most of the year, so I believe he'd be the guy they'd get rid of over Thaiss.

2) LA Angels pitcher Jaime Barria could be DFA'd before the end of the season

Wallach's decision is based more off of roster construction while Jaime Barria's decision would be simply based off performance. Barria had an excellent start to his season, but has had a really rough go of things for a while now.

Barria began the year in the long relief role he excelled in during the 2022 season, and he had a 1.96 ERA through his first ten appearances. He allowed just five earned runs in 23 innings pitched during that span, four of which came in his first appearance of the season.

Barria's excellence in the bullpen and Jose Suarez landing on the IL gave him a shot in the rotation that he had long deserved. Barria pitched well in his first three starts, allowing three total runs and going five innings in all three starts. Barria then proceeded to allow 12 runs in his next three starts and 12.1 innings pitched. That put an end to him as a starter.

The 27-year-old was moved back to the bullpen in the second half, and simply hasn't been the same dominant long man he was last season and early on this season. In his last nine appearances, he's allowed 14 runs (13 earned) in 14.1 innings pitched. He's given up four runs in two of his appearances, and he's given up multiple runs on four different occasions.

Barria has seen his season ERA balloon to 4.33 to go along with a 4.56 xERA, 4.94 FIP, and 4.96 xFIP. His numbers are finally regressing like the peripherals had been suggesting they would be, and it hasn't been pretty. Barria is out of options, so if the Angels wanted to remove him from the active roster, he'd have to be DFA'd.

3) LA Angels infielder Eduardo Escobar could be DFA'd before the end of the season

Eduardo Escobar is the victim of rough circumstances. The Angels acquired him to be much-needed depth, but with the infield semi-healthy, he's barely seen the field.

The infielder has a total of 19 at-bats in the month of August while the Angels have played 15 games in totality. He's started just five games, and has only played three of those starts out from start to finish.

Part of the reason he hasn't played is because of the depth the Angels already have in the infield. C.J. Cron, Brandon Drury, Luis Rengifo, and Mike Moustakas are the infielders most of the time. Escobar has played sparingly and can play three of the four infield positions, but there just isn't a need. With Cron day-to-day more at-bats are available, but that shouldn't be an issue when the Angels return home.

Not only is Escobar the odd-man out in the infield as currently constructed, he'll be buried even more when Zach Neto and Anthony Rendon do return. There's no timetable on either player currently, but both are expected back before the season ends as of now. Those players will surely slot ahead of Escobar in the depth chart, which could eventually lead to Escobar's departure.

It's not like Escobar has done much to warrant at-bats considering the fact that he has a .616 OPS in 99 at-bats with the Angels, but it does appear Escobar is at risk of losing his spot on the Angels roster if and when it becomes whole.

4) LA Angels pitcher Chris Devenski could be DFA'd before the end of the season

Chris Devenski was at one point in time a reliable option to set up for closer Carlos Estevez. Devenski, pitching for his hometown team for the first time, was looking like the all-star pitcher he once was in Houston before struggling and eventually landing on the IL.

In Devenski's first 19 appearances of the season, he allowed just five runs in 24.1 innings pitched. 17 of his first 19 appearances were scoreless, and Devenski didn't even walk a batter until his 18th outing of the season.

The right-hander was showing an ability to be productive in virtually any scenario. He was unbelievable with inherited runners, pitched well against lefties, and could even record more than three outs if there was a need for that.

Unfortunately, Devenski posted a 13.50 ERA in his last ten outings, seeing a large spike in walks and home runs before hitting the Injured List with a hamstring injury. He's been out since his last outing which was back on July 15. Devenski has made four appearances in the minors as he prepares to return from the IL.

I do expect Devenski to eventually be activated and added to the 26-man roster, but he should be on thin ice. If he struggles, the Angels should take action. Considering the fact that he doesn't have any options, he'd have to be DFA'd.

5) LA Angels pitcher Gerardo Reyes could be DFA'd before the end of the season

Gerardo Reyes is the classic example of life of a borderline MLB-ready reliever with options being taken advantage of. He's been up and down between the Angels and AAA Salt Lake multiple times this season, and that's really just because they can do this without losing him.

In the time he's been up with the Angels, his body of work is unimpressive. Reyes has allowed six runs (five earned) in 6.2 innings pitched across five outings. He's allowed runs in all five appearances, albeit one of them was unearned.

His numbers in Salt Lake don't blow anyone away either as he's posted a 4.65 ERA in 28 appearances, although considering how brutal the PCL is for pitchers, he's been relatively solid. Reyes is a fine depth arm but is 30 years old with no MLB success and without much of a future with the Halos.

If the Angels were to promote someone who is not currently on the 40-man roster, removing Reyes by DFA'ing him makes a lot of sense. It's very possible he'd go unclaimed, and the other pitchers who are on the 40-man have more value to me whether it's because of their youth or because of their success in the majors.

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