David Fletcher earns call-up, should be starting shortstop until Zach Neto returns

The Los Angeles Angels have made the move that most of the fanbase has been begging them to make for weeks now. David Fletcher is back and will provide much-needed infield depth.

The Los Angeles Angels are recalling infielder David Fletcher, according to sources familiar with the situation. Fletcher was hitting .383/.432/.478 in Triple-A and joins Eduardo Escobar as much-needed infield reinforcements.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) June 24, 2023

It's unclear as of now who Fletcher and the newly-acquired Eduardo Escobar will replace on the Angels roster, but two infielders will likely be headed to Salt Lake or DFA'd.

It's good to see Fletcher get his shot with the Angels again, and frankly it's overdue.

LA Angels make the right decision giving David Fletcher a shot

The Angels surprisingly not only sent Fletcher down to AAA Salt Lake, they completely outrighted him off of the 40-man roster. This showed where he stood within the eyes of Perry Minasian and the Angels' front office. They were paying him to not even be on the 40-man.

Fletcher's demotion made a ton of sense. After promoting Zach Neto he didn't have a place, and frankly, Fletcher hadn't shown a reason why he should've been up in the first place. He had just two hits in 16 at-bats and hadn't done really anything offensively since his outstanding 2020 season. Injuries played a role, sure, but if you play you have to perform.

Fletcher went down to AAA Salt Lake and after struggling to start, he wound up hitting the cover off the ball. Fletcher slashed .383/.432/.478 with one home run and 24 RBI. Fletcher will never hit many home runs but to see him rack up multi-hit games as easily as he did was very encouraging.

Now it's time to see if this production can carry to the MLB level. Of course he won't hit .380, but if Fletcher can hit for a relatively high average while putting the ball in play and giving you steady defense at shortstop that'd be a very welcome addition.

For now, Fletcher should get a majority of the starts at shortstop. Andrew Velazquez could easily be getting sent down, and he honestly should be after botching what would've been an inning-ending double play.

If he doesn't play well, he doesn't play well. Fletcher has earned the right to come up after torching AAA pitching. It's good they at least gave him a chance. He at the bare minimum should provide solid infield defense and versatility with a better bat than Velazquez.