Following Monday night's loss to the Cleveland Indians, the Los Angeles Angels announced that Triple-A players Mark Trumbo and Hank Conger have been called up to the big club. Both players will be available for action on Tuesday.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Conger, the Angels released reliever Brian Stokes. Stokes, who had been acquired last offseason in the trade with the New York Mets involving Gary Matthews Jr., had clearly struggled this season, posting an 8.10 ERA through 16 appearances.
Trumbo, the Angels' 18th round pick in the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft, was leading the minor leagues in home runs with 36. He has been on a tear since the All-Star break, hitting .352 with 16 HR and 52 RBI.
Conger, the Angels' first-round pick in 2005, was hitting .300 with 11 HR and 49 RBI with Salt Lake. He was last seen at Angels Stadium during the All-Star break, when he powered the U.S. Team to a 9-1 victory over the World Team in the Futures All-Star game, collecting the MVP award with his three-run homer.
In other moves, the Angels recalled utility infielder Kevin Frandsen, pitcher Matt Palmer and pitcher Bobby Cassevah. All three players have seen limited action with the big club this season.
Trumbo's name had previously been mentioned as a possible replacement for Kendry Morales when he went down for the season with a broken leg suffered during a celebration of a walkoff grand slam home run in late May. But the opportunity for Trumbo never came to pass.
“He’s certainly one of the top power prospects in baseball. He opened up a lot of eyes with the year he had at Salt Lake,” Halos manager Mike Scioscia said. “Crossing over to the big leagues is obviously the next step. Sometimes for guys with bigger swings, it takes longer."
“I think whatever opportunity Mark gets for us right now isn’t going to define him as a player. It’s not going to be a huge look. …You’re not going to make a determination in the amount of time he’ll get a chance to play up here, even if he played everyday.”
Given the disappointment that the 2010 season has delivered thus far, the opportunities for both Trumbo and Conger to impress management in the next few weeks will certainly go a long way toward their future involvement with the Angels in 2011 and beyond.
Looking for more? Click here to read other excellent articles about your Angels by fellow Examiner William Martinez.
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