Angels jettison Zach Plesac, claim pitcher from AL West rival to fill roster spot

The Los Angeles Angels have made a series of roster transactions over the past 24 hours. No, Christian Moore isn't on his way to Anaheim (yet). But the Halos did make a pair of additions and one subtraction.

The Angels released veteran pitcher Zach Plesac on Monday night. Plesac covered 12 innings over three games in the big leagues for the Angels this season, but spent much of his time at Triple-A Salt Lake. The right-hander, who'd had success earlier in his career with the Cleveland Guardians, was just 5-7 with a 5.69 ERA in 18 games with the Bees before being let go.

On the flip side, Plesac's release opened up another roster spot. The Halos decided to claim former Texas Rangers pitcher Brock Burke. A third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014, Burke had appeared in 14 games for the defending World Series champions this season. But with a 9.22 ERA and 6.11 WHIP, it's no wonder why the Rangers designated Burke for assignment last week.

Angels jettison Zach Plesac, claim pitcher from AL West rival to fill roster spot

Some of Burke's struggles, however, could have been caused by an early-season injury. The 28-year-old spent two months on the injured list after breaking his hand in April. Burke logged just over 10 innings with the Rangers after being activated from the IL before Texas decided to part ways. Burke has minor league options remaining and won't reach free agency until after the 2026 season.

The Angels had one more vacancy on their 40-man roster even after adding Burke and decided to take a flier on another reliever. Nick Robertson, fresh off a stint with the St. Louis Cardinals, was also plucked off waivers on Tuesday. The 26-year-old made just eight appearances out of the Cards' bullpen, but struck out nearly 27% of the batters he faced while walking only two. Much like Burke, Robertson is under team control beyond the 2024 season and has minor-league options remaining.

Neither one of these are impact acquisitions on the part of the Angels, but adding depth to the bullpen is never a bad idea. There's an old adage in baseball that says you can never have too much pitching, and the Angels are proving that to be true. Perhaps Angels Perry Minasian will be able to catch lightning in a bottle.

More LA Angels News and Rumors