The Angels fortified their thin outfield by signing Adam Eaton to a major league deal Wednesday, just two days after the 32-year-old veteran was granted his unconditional release by the Chicago White Sox.
The left-handed-hitting Eaton, a key member of the Washington Nationals club that won the World Series in 2019, hit .201 with a .642 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, five homers, 28 RBIs and 33 runs in 58 games for the White Sox this season. He hit .341 (15 for 44) with 21 RBIs with runners in scoring position.
The speedy Eaton has compiled a .278 average, .768 OPS, 65 homers, 165 doubles, 46 triples, and 317 RBIs in 10 big league seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, White Sox and Nationals.
The Angels have played the last 49 games without Mike Trout, the three-time American League most valuable player and star center fielder who suffered a right-calf strain on May 17 and is not expected back until after the All-Star break.
Left fielder Justin Upton, the team’s hottest hitter when he suffered a lower-back strain on June 22, has been out for almost a month, though he is expected back soon after the All-Star break. And the Angels lost right fielder Dexter Fowler to season-ending knee surgery in early April.
Taylor Ward, who was drafted as a catcher and moved to third base in the minor leagues, has filled in competently in right field, but Luis Rengifo and Phil Gosselin, both infielders by trade, have struggled defensively in the corner outfield spots in recent weeks.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Eaton, left-handed pitcher Dillon Peters was designated for assignment.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.