ANAHEIM -- Outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. officially joined the Angels before Tuesday’s game against the Athletics after being acquired in a trade with the Giants on Sunday, but utilityman Chris Taylor landed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left hand.
Wade, who was acquired for player to be named or cash after being designated for assignment last week, wasn’t in the lineup against the A’s. But he’s expected to see time in both corner outfield spots going forward, especially with superstar Mike Trout still not ready to play right field. Trout, who returned on May 30 after missing a month with a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee, will continue to see action at designated hitter until he’s cleared to play right.
“It feels great,” Wade said. “I'm just happy, excited to be here. Just want to come and work hard and help out any way I can. I'm definitely in positive spirits. Any time you get the opportunity to put on a Major League uniform, it’s very special. It's not the ending that I wanted in San Fran. I wish I could have done more, but I'm embracing this new opportunity and ready to get to work.”
So while Wade was pleased to join his new club, it was a tough day for Taylor, who had been starting to heat up at the plate since signing with the Angels on May 26 after being released by the Dodgers on May 18.
Taylor, 34, hit .200 with a homer, three doubles and three RBIs in 10 games before he was hit on the hand by a fastball from A’s reliever Tyler Ferguson in the eighth inning on Monday. He stayed in the game for the ninth inning of the Angels’ 7-4 win but underwent X-rays after the game that revealed the fracture. There’s no timetable for his return.
“He's just been having some bad luck and it just keeps happening,” manager Ron Washington said. “So now all he can do is just get well. But in the game of baseball, things like that happen, and the next guy’s got to step up.”
Wade, 31, will be counted on to replace some of that production, as he’s coming off a strong five-year run with the Giants that saw him become a fan favorite in San Francisco, especially for his late-game heroics. But he's struggled offensively this year, hitting .167/.275/.271 with a homer, eight doubles, two triples and 15 RBIs in 50 games. But he was still solid in both '23 and '24, batting a combined .258/.376/.401 with 25 homers, 30 doubles and 79 RBIs in 252 games.
“There’s a lot of season left,” Wade said. “I believe that my stride length was way too long to begin this season. Just trying to cut that down a little bit. Just have more barrel awareness and square balls up more. But it all starts with that stride length and just being under control.”
He’ll also have to make the adjustment of playing in the outfield, as he mostly played first base with the Giants this year. The Angels have Nolan Schanuel entrenched at first base and will use Wade in the outfield. Jorge Soler has been nursing groin tightness over the last week but was in the lineup in right field on Tuesday. Wade said he got some extra work in the outfield before the game to get ready for what the Angels are asking of him.
“I feel fine with that,” Wade said. “It's been a while since I got out there, but I got out here today, did some early work, and I’m just going to work my hardest to get better out there. It's just been a little while. Just got to get back out there and just get the reps.”
Wade also joked that it’s a crazy coincidence that he’s now teammates with right-hander reliever Shaun Anderson, as the two were traded for each other in ’21. Wade was sent from San Francisco to Minnesota, while Anderson went from the Giants to the Twins. Anderson was just called up on Monday to serve as a long reliever.
“I saw him in the weight room earlier,” Wade said. “I was telling him it’s full circle. We got traded for each other in ‘21 and now we're back on the same team. You just never know your plan in this game.”