CONTACT US

Contact Form

    News Details

    Veteran Carl Edwards Jr. returns to majors in Angels’ bullpen shakeup
    • April 24, 2025

    ANAHEIM — The Angels are giving Carl Edwards Jr. another chance.

    Edwards, 33, pitched in 297 major-league games heading into the 2024 season, but he had only faced three big-league hitters since then.

    After bouncing between the Chicago Cubs’ and San Diego Padres’ farm systems in 2024, and with a winter detour to Mexico, Edwards signed a minor-league deal with the Angels at the end of spring training.

    He posted a 1.54 ERA in 11⅔ innings at Triple-A, with 13 strikeouts and three walks. The Angels gave him a shot as part of a bullpen shakeup on Wednesday. The Angels also brought up right-hander Victor Mederos, optioned right-hander Michael Darrell-Hicks and designated right-hander Ian Anderson for assignment.

    “I’m excited to be back to a place where I feel I belong,” said Edwards, who added that he’s comfortable because of his familiarity with former teammates Kyle Hendricks, Jorge Soler and Travis d’Arnaud.

    Manager Ron Washington said they wanted to add an experienced reliever besides closer Kenley Jansen.

    Edwards has a career 3.54 ERA as a major-league reliever. He briefly tried starting with the Angels at Triple-A, but his performance improved as he moved back to the bullpen.

    Edwards said he still throws a fastball and a curveball, but he’s added a changeup.

    Mederos, 23, returns to the Angels after brief stints in 2023 and 2024. He allowed 10 runs in 8⅓ innings in his previous trips, with nine walks.

    Mederos has been pitching this season at Class-A, and he has walked just three in his first 15⅓ innings. Mederos has been starting in the minors, so the Angels wanted to add a pitcher capable of working long relief.

    “Maybe this time he’ll come up and he’ll be what we thought he was going to be last year,” Washington said. “He was throwing the ball extremely well, and we needed some length, so he gives us our length.”

    The two pitchers who were sent out went for different reasons.

    Darrell-Hicks had a rough debut but then he allowed just one run in 5⅔ innings in his next four games.

    “I think he has an opportunity to be a big-league pitcher,” Washington said. “We’ll see a lot of Darrell-Hicks before the year is over.”

    Anderson, on the other hand, had an 11.57 ERA in 9⅓ innings, with seven walks. He was a promising young pitcher with the Atlanta Braves before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, and he’s been battling to return to that level since.

    “We hope he gets through (waivers) and can stay in the organization, and we can help him work it out,” Washington said. “Because I know Ian personally, and I know he’s better than he’s shown.”

    LINEUP SHUFFLE

    Washington moved Soler from the cleanup spot to the leadoff spot, and Taylor Ward went from leadoff to cleanup for Wednesday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

    The Angels’ offense has been stagnant for about two weeks.

    “Just wanted to try Jorge in a different spot,” Washington said. “Maybe it’ll awaken him. Got to do whatever we can to get him awake. He did spend a lot of time hitting in the No. 1 spot, and maybe he’ll feel more comfortable there. So it’s just a tweak. I don’t know how long it’s gonna last.”

    Soler was hitting .263 with a .785 OPS through Tuesday, and Ward was hitting .220 with a .719 OPS.

    As a group, the Angels have hit .197 and averaged 2.6 runs over their previous 10 games. They’ve also struck out in 32.4% of their plate appearances in that span.

    “I need to see them start being a lot more patient, being aware of situations out there,” Washington said. “Just swing the bat. We’ve been taking a lot of called third strikes. We’ve been chasing balls out of the strike zone, and now we need to start focusing on getting balls in the strike zone and start putting the ball in play, because a swinging bat is dangerous, and, you know, especially when you start making contact. So that’s what I would like to see.”

    WHY SO LATE?

    The finale of the series against the Pirates on Thursday is scheduled for 6:29 p.m., which is the latest the game can begin per the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Angels have a flight to Minnesota following the game, with a game against the Twins the next night. Normally, such a game would be scheduled in the day, but the Angels traditionally push the limits of the CBA to maximize revenue from playing at night instead of on a weekday afternoon.

    This is the only game this year in which the Angels have such a tight turnaround because of travel. They will arrive in their hotel in Minneapolis sometime after 5 a.m. local time.

    “It’s not ideal,” Mike Trout said. “I don’t even know when we’re supposed to land, but it’s gonna be early and then we gotta play that night. And then the worst part about it is the (Saturday) is a day game. It’s going to be a tough stretch, but we gotta get through it.”

    NOTES

    There is still no change with third baseman Yoán Moncada, who is out with a sprained right thumb. Moncada can hit right-handed, but not left-handed. He has been doing defensive drills. …

    Right-hander Ben Joyce is still not throwing, although he’s progressing enough that his ability to throw is being evaluated each day.

    UP NEXT

    Pirates (LHP Andrew Heaney, 1-1, 2.13 ERA) at Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 2-0, 2.08 ERA), Wednesday, 6:38 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    News