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Angels’ Oswald Peraza starts season strong after encouraging spring

April 4, 2026

ANAHEIM — Oswald Peraza has carried spring training into the season, so far.

The Angels took a flier on Peraza at the trade deadline last year, grabbing a player who had been a solid defender but had never lived up to his potential at the plate.

He hit .190 with a .549 OPS in 429 plate appearances with the New York Yankees, and then .186 with a .512 OPS in 95 plate appearances after the Angels got him.

This spring, though, Peraza hit .315 with an .888 OPS, which won him the starting second base job. Through the first seven games of the season, he was hitting .286 with an .824 OPS.

Peraza explained that the difference starts with his leg kick, which has gone through various versions throughout his career. Last year the Angels tried to make it more of a tap. Now he’s back to lifting his leg a little more.

“I feel a lot more in rhythm and a lot more comfortable with my leg kick,” Peraza said. “I feel more control and have better timing.”

The bar that Peraza has to clear for the Angels to have an upgrade at second is fairly low. Last year, Angels second basemen combined for a .598 OPS in 2025, which was 28th in the majors.

Peraza has also provided positive value in the field.

“Just the observations of his work, in the infield and what he’s doing in the cage, all that type of stuff that he’s doing gets me excited with where he could potentially be,” Manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I know it’s different going on the field than doing stuff on the side, but just the work, the mindset, his willingness to learn and to be open to different things is everything that you can ask for in a player. He’s been seeing the results and the fruits of his labor a little bit too, so I think it’s a good thing.”

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Right-hander Kirby Yates, who has a knee injury, threw again on Friday, after throwing a bullpen on Wednesday in Chicago.

Right-hander Ben Joyce, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, threw another bullpen session in Arizona on Friday. Joyce has been throwing bullpens for a few weeks. It’s still unclear when he’ll progress to the next step, which would be facing hitters.

“I know he’s throwing off the mound and feeling really strong,” Suzuki said. “Whether that’s throwing 100 yet, I don’t know yet. I know he’s feeling really good. I think they’ve been really pleased with his progress.”

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who complained of general soreness late in spring training, is with the team in Anaheim and still playing catch, but he hasn’t thrown a bullpen yet.

Right-hander Alek Manoah, whose fingernail was falling off, has been throwing all of his pitches in bullpens in Arizona, Suzuki said.

“I talked to him a couple days ago and he’s excited,” Suzuki said. “Ready to get to work. The energy, the positivity that he has is awesome. I can’t wait for him to get back in a game situation.”

Infielder Vaughn Grissom, who had a sprained left wrist, had four hits in the first seven at-bats of his rehab assignment at Triple-A. He has played first base and third.

“He said ‘I’m good, call me up,’” Suzuki said. “He missed quite a bit of time in spring training, so we’re trying to build him up slowly and hit all the positions that he needs to play before making a decision.”

Grissom’s rehab assignment expires on April 19, so the Angels will need to make a decision on him by then. He can’t be optioned.

NOTES

The Angels traded right-hander Victor Mederos to the Atlanta Braves for international pool space. Mederos was designated for assignment when the Angels called up Shaun Anderson. The Angels obviously did not believe he would clear waivers, so they instead traded him instead of losing him for nothing. Mederos’ stock rose significantly last year, when the Angels changed his arm angle and he had a 3.41 ERA in the minors. He struggled in spring training and gave up seven runs in three innings in his first Triple-A start this season. He still hit 99 mph in that game. …

Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson will make their second starts over the next two days, after a couple of disappointing outings. They said they were nervous for their first time out, so the Angels are hoping they’ll calm down this time. “Really there’s no secret to how you do that,” Suzuki said. “I think it’s just experience. I think we’d like to say the more they get out there, the more experience they get, they can handle situations.”

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Mariners (RHP Emerson Hancock, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) at Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 0-0, 11.25 ERA), Saturday, 6:38 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network, 830 AM

Orange County Register

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Angels’ Oswald Peraza starts season strong after encouraging spring

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