There may be a turning point in Anaheim after the Angels made two further transactions on Tuesday that indicated they are committed to strengthening the bullpen. The two trades indicated that two key bullpen arms are close to returning to MLB action.
Despite the fact that Sam Bachman, a former first-round pick, had his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A Salt Lake, Robert Stephenson, who has had a long and dependable career in the major leagues, is expected to play a significant role in the Halos’ bullpen and is finally starting his Angels career.
It looks like we are less than a month away from Stephenson making his Angels debut. Stephenson was one of the Angels’ top picks in the 2024 free agent class, but he had to have Tommy John surgery before he could ever pitch in the regular season. The last time he was on the mound, he had a career year with the Tampa Bay Rays, recording a 2.35 ERA in 42 games.
Even while it would be unreasonable to anticipate Stephenson performing at that level in 2025, the Angels bullpen, which is severely lacking in arms, would greatly benefit from the acquisition of a tried-and-true, seasoned arm.
Fans will be even more excited as Bachman’s comeback draws nearer. Although the Angels selected him in the draft with the intention of landing a top starter, those ambitions appear to have vanished. Bachman has shown himself to be a little too prone to injuries for a starting pitcher’s workload. Still, it would be good to have a top-tier reliever.
Bachman is only a week into his rehabilitation, so unless he has another setback, he will probably be out of a few weeks before he joins the Angels. Bachman’s future was uncertain at best after receiving a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome, and maybe doomed at worst. Bachman has been pitching effectively in the minor leagues this season, and it’s fantastic that we received such a positive news so quickly. He threw a scoreless inning for the Bees on the day of this report, walking one hitter and striking out one.
So far this year, Bachman has been using a dirty sinker and cutter combination. Bachman appears to have discovered the two-pitch combination that most top relievers depend on, since both of them grade out as plus-pitches. Even though Bachman isn’t yet a top-tier reliever, he has the background to become one, and his brief success with the Angels in 2023 has made people optimistic about the first-round pick.
So far this year, Bachman has been using a dirty sinker and cutter combination. Bachman appears to have discovered the two-pitch combination that most top relievers depend on, since both of them grade out as plus-pitches. Even though Bachman isn’t yet a top-tier reliever, he has the background to become one, and his brief success with the Angels in 2023 has made people optimistic about the first-round pick.
