Angels Shakeup: Cron & Lucho Up, Freese to DL, Shuck to Salt Lake

C.J. Cron has been called up to the Angels in a major shakeup of the core offense the team is fielding. Predicated on David Freese bruising his finger when hit by a pitch, the Angels have called up Cron and Luis Jimenez from AAA Salt Lake and demoted J.B. Shuck to make room for this vote for more offense.

Cron was batting .308 with a 1.000 OPS at Salt Lake. At 24 he is almost three years younger than the average AAA player (but still a year and a half older than Mike Trout). Worried about his fielding at 1B? He had two errors in 176 Chances so don't worry.

Jimenez debut in a sub role at the hot corner last season and strikes most prognosticators as a league average fringe temp solution at 3B - exactly what Jerry Dipoto seems to be constructing here - biding time to get Freese back soon. Lucho will likely back up Ian Stewart and John McDonald but will see more PA than Farmer John for sure. Grant Green would be the obvious choice to take over at 3B but with Shuck's demotion it looks like the experiment of Green in the outfield will occur sooner rather than later.

Shuck had an OPS+ of 26 in just under one hundred Plate Appearances.

Freese will be in the 15 Day disabled list with a no-displaced fracture to the middle finger courtesy of an inside pitch from Colby Lewis in Friday night's game.

Cron batting from the right side will likely create a platoon with Raul Ibañez at DH.