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The Angels designated Jonathan Lucroy for assignment Friday morning, reports Jeff Fletcher of the OCR:
The #Angels have DFA’d Jonathan Lucroy to make room for Max Stassi. Kevan Smith is still under control next year and Lucroy is a FA.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) August 2, 2019
Lucroy was hitting .242/.310/.371 in 74 games in 2019, his first season with the Angels. His defense, namely his pitch blocking and framing skills, left much to be desired.
Lucroy was involved in a brutal collision with Jake Marisnick right before the All Star Break. He suffered a concussion and missed multiple weeks of games. In his first (and only) game back, Lucroy seemed to hesitate from tagging a runner at the plate on a close play. Hopefully he is 100%, but it is always tough to say.
Max Stassi, the Angels sole acquisition at the trade deadline, is now on the active roster. He figures to split time with Kevan Smith. Both of these catchers are under team control for multiple years.
It’s tough, because the Angels definitely did the right thing here, but it’s unfortunate to see a competitor like Lucroy go out the way he did.
Let the Stassi era commence!