Los Angeles has strengthened the bullpen but hasn’t made any significant free agency acquisitions. Reliever Robert Stephenson, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays in 2023, was the top free agent signed by the Angels.
But because of his shoulder injury, it’s unclear when he’ll play in a Spring Training game next.
Right-handed pitcher Robert Stephenson, the Halos’ largest free agent acquisition, is experiencing shoulder soreness, according to Angels manager Ron Washington’s disclosure on Wednesday. To see how things work, he’s going to play catch on Wednesday.
Stephenson was by far the largest free agent the Angels signed when they offered him a three-year, $39 million contract this offseason.
As the Halos look suggests, he was one of the numerous bullpen pieces added.
Stephenson posted a 2.35 ERA in 42 games with the Rays following his 5.14 ERA in 18 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He used that to his advantage to earn a sizable salary in free agency, and in 2024 he’ll seek to lead an Angels bullpen full of young players. To start, though, he must recover from injury in order to strengthen a bullpen that finished tied for fifth in baseball with an ERA of 4.88.
