Wantz will be a part of the Angels' Opening Day roster, Adrian Garro of MLB.com reports.
Wantz made the decision easy for the Angels with a 0.00 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 6.1 innings in the Cactus League. The 27-year-old right-hander will be a middle-innings option for the Angels to open the 2023 season.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Favorite for final bullpen spot
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Wantz remains the favorite for the final bullpen spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
There are seven relievers -- Carlos Estevez, Jimmy Herget, Jaime Barria, Aaron Loup, Ryan Tepera, Jose Quijada and Matt Moore -- who are seen as locks to break camp with the club, potentially leaving just one more bullpen spot available. Wantz appears to be the favorite for the opening, and he hasn't done anything to hurt his chances this spring, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings during which he's allowed three hits and posted a 4:2 K:BB. The biggest threat to Wantz's opportunity could be hard-throwing youngster Ben Joyce, who has opened eyes with a strong spring and a fastball that has reached 104 mph. While Joyce is the flashier pitcher, he's not currently on the 40-man roster and has yet to pitch above the Double-A level, while Wantz has two big-league seasons under his belt and was effective for the Angels in 2022, posting a 3.22 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 52:21 K:BB over 50.1 innings while picking up eight holds.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Hit with first big-league loss
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Wantz (2-1) was charged with the loss and a blown save against Houston on Friday, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out one batter over one inning.
Wantz came into the contest with the Angels up by a run in the seventh inning. He began the frame by allowing Trey Mancini to single, and Chas McCormick followed with a two-run home run to flip the lead in favor of the Astros. Though Wantz bounced back by retiring the next three hitters, the damage was done, and the righty reliever took his first loss in 55 career outings. Wantz has allowed three runs over his past two innings after going six straight appearances without surrendering a run or a hit.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Making strides with cutter
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Wantz has been throwing his cutter more often over the past few months, and it has helped him post a 2.08 ERA over 16 games since July 3, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The cutter wasn't part of Wantz's arsenal early in his professional career -- he began to develop it during the 2020 season, when he worked out at home due to the cancellation of the minor-league campaign. The right-hander didn't use the pitch much early this season, but he's turned to it frequently over the past few months, and his ERA has improved from 4.00 to 3.06 since July 3. Per Fletcher, Wantz attributes his improvement this season to the cutter in addition to more focus on his command.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Serves up two homers in return
Rotowire
Wantz was reinstated from his three-game suspension Saturday and made a relief appearance in the Angels' 9-1 loss to the Astros, giving up two runs on two hits over an inning while striking out two of the five batters he faced.
Wantz was handed the three-game suspension for throwing pitches at Seattle's Julio Rodriguez and Jesse Winker in a June 26 spot start, with his actions inciting a benches-clearing brawl. The 26-year-old returned to his familiar bullpen role Saturday, but he provided little relief behind starter Patrick Sandoval, as Wantz served up solo home runs to Martin Maldonado and Jose Altuve.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Banned three games
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Wantz received a three-game suspension for his actions in Sunday's brawl with the Mariners, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Wantz was ejected from Sunday's game after hitting Jesse Winker with a pitch and inciting the further incident. He is not appealing the discipline, so will be unavailable for the team's three-game set with the White Sox.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Ejected Sunday
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Wantz was ejected during the second inning of Sunday's game against the Mariners after hitting Jesse Winker with a pitch, which incited a benches-clearing brawl, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The right-hander served as the opener Sunday and threw a pitch behind Julio Rodriguez during the opening frame, and he followed up by plunking Winker on the first pitch of the second inning, which prompted a fight that resulted in six players and both managers being ejected. Wantz is likely to face a suspension.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Gets look in opener role
Rotowire
Wantz is listed as the Angels' starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Mariners and is expected to be deployed as an opener, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Though he'll be credited with his first career big-league start, Wantz is likely to be pulled before Seattle's lineup turns over and is unlikely to factor into any decision. Instead, Jose Suarez, who was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake earlier Sunday, is the better bet to cover most of the innings for the Angels in the series finale. Wantz hasn't worked more than 2.1 innings in any of his 11 appearances with the Angels this season.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Notches first win Sunday
Rotowire
Wantz (1-0) was credited with the win against the Mariners on Sunday, pitching a perfect inning during which he struck out two batters.
Angels starter Kenny Rosenberg went 4.2 scoreless frames, falling just shy of qualifying for the win. The victory instead went to Wantz, who pitched a clean sixth inning that included two strikeouts. This was the right-hander's first win of the season and just the second of his big-league career. He's posted a 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB across 13.1 innings with Los Angeles this season.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Brought up from Triple-A
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The Angels recalled Wantz from Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Anaheim swapped Wantz into its bullpen for Kenny Rosenberg, who was optioned to Triple-A since he wasn't going to be available for at least the next four days after covering five innings and tossing 99 pitches in long relief during Tuesday's loss to the Yankees. Like Rosenberg before him, Wantz is expected to handle lower-leverage work out of the bullpen.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Returns to Triple-A
Rotowire
Wantz was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.
Wantz was promoted from Salt Lake on Saturday and will return there without making an appearance for the Angels. He's pitched in three big-league games this season and has allowed two runs over three innings.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Back in majors
Rotowire
Wantz was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake prior to Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against Oakland.
He gave up two runs in three innings over three appearances earlier this season. Look for Wantz to pitch in low-leverage situations.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Heading to Triple-A
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Wantz was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.
Wantz was called up by the Angels on April 19, and he allowed two runs in three innings over three relief appearances with the big-league club. He's posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 5.1 innings over four relief appearances in the minors this season.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Joins big-league club
Rotowire
Wantz was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.
Wantz missed out on a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster but will join the team ahead of Tuesday's game against the Astros. The 26-year-old received his first taste of big-league action in 2021 and had a 4.94 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB over 27.1 innings.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Optioned to Salt Lake
Rotowire
Wantz was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Wantz made two relief appearances in the Cactus League this year and allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three in three scoreless frames. Although he made 21 relief appearances for the Angels last year, he'll begin the 2022 campaign in Salt Lake.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Shelled by Houston
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Wantz allowed four runs on four hits over one inning against the Astros on Monday.
The Angels were down by a manageable two runs when Wantz entered the contest in the eighth inning, but Houston rocked him for four runs to essentially put the game away. The biggest hit against the right-hander was a three-run homer off the bat of Martin Maldonado. Wantz has served up a long ball in two of his past three appearances and has surrendered seven earned runs across four innings over that stretch. The rookie's ERA is an unsightly 6.23 through 18 outings.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Earns first big-league win
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Wantz (1-0) was credited with the win Saturday versus the Padres, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings and allowing one walk while striking out three.
Angels starter Jose Suarez lasted only 3.2 frames, allowing Wantz to pick up the victory by holding San Diego scoreless during his brief appearance. The right-hander struck out the final three batters he faced after walking Jake Cronenworth to lead off the fifth inning. Wantz has posted a superb 21:4 K:BB across 11.2 frames this season, though he has struggled with the long ball (2.3 HR/9).
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Rejoins Angels
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The Angels recalled Wantz from Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
The righty has appeared in four games for the Angels this season, posting a 5.06 ERA in 5.1 innings while striking out nine and walking three. Wantz hasn't pitched for Triple-A Salt Lake since Thursday, so he should be fresh and ready for low-leverage relief work in the big leagues.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Wantz was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.
Wantz was promoted from Triple-A on Friday and will return there without making an appearance for the big-league club. The right-hander has spent most of the season at Salt Lake, where he has a 3.10 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 28:7 K:BB over 29 innings.
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Angels' Andrew Wantz: Returns to Triple-A
Rotowire
Wantz was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Wantz was promoted for his major-league debut in early July and made four appearances for the Halos, allowing three runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and three walks over 5.1 innings. He'll return to Salt Lake, where he has a 2.10 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB across 25.2 innings this season.
