RADIO
Jorge Soler Playing Through Groin Injury
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler (groin) recently said that he can run at 60-70% right now due to a nagging groin injury, but manager Kurt Suzuki shrugged at the suggestion that the right-handed slugger needs time off, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. "He just had a day off," Suzuki said. "We had a team day off (on Monday). He's swinging the bat fine. He's looking good. And he's in the lineup." Soler said the soreness started "a few days ago," but Suzuki said it's just something normal that players go through over the course of a long season. The 34-year-old, who is hitting .215/.298/.403 with a .701 OPS in 191 at-bats in 2026, was last out of the lineup on May 21. Despite not being 100%, he has exactly one hit in each of his last seven games he's started, but that has included just one extra-base hit. It doesn't appear that the Cuban outfielder is in danger of landing on the injured list, but fantasy managers can't really do much with Soler unless he's hitting for power. He has nine home runs, 30 RBI, and 25 runs scored on the year for the last-place Halos.
Source: The Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
Source: The Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
Chris Taylor Opts Out of Retirement, Placed on Injured List
Los Angeles Angels minor-league outfielder Chris Taylor (forearm) has reversed a previous decision about his retirement. Taylor reportedly retired on Friday, but he changed his mind one day later. Now, Taylor is unretired, and instead, he has been placed on the minor league injured list with a left forearm fracture. It's a perplexing turn of events for the veteran, who evidently decided he wasn't ready to hang up his cleats quite yet. Across 32 Triple-A games this year, the 35-year-old owns a .255/.382/.321 slash line with three steals, a 15.2% walk rate, a 26.5% strikeout rate, and 86 wRC+. Taylor, who previously won a World Series with the Dodgers, will look to get healthy and return to his role as an organizational depth piece for the Angels.
Source: Rhett Bollinger
Source: Rhett Bollinger
Angels Send Josh Lowe to Triple-A
The Los Angeles Angels announced on Friday that they optioned outfielder Josh Lowe to Triple-A Salt Lake following their loss on Thursday night to the division-rival Athletics. In his first season in Anaheim, Lowe has continued to disappoint, being sent to the minors after slashing .184/.226/.320 with a .546 OPS, five home runs, 14 RBI, eight runs scored, a stolen base, six walks, and 39 strikeouts in 45 games across 134 plate appearances. With Lowe no longer with the big-league club, outfielder Wade Meckler has been called up and is starting in left field and batting sixth for the Halos in Friday's series opener against the division-rival Texas Rangers and right-hander Jacob deGrom. Lowe, a 28-year-old former 13th overall pick in 2016 by the Tampa Bay Rays, was once heralded as a potential high-end power/speed outfielder, but things just haven't panned out for him in the big leagues since he hit 20 homers, drove in 83, and stole 32 bases in 135 games in 135 games in 2023 in his first full season with the Rays. Injuries have not helped his cause. Lowe is now rostered in only 2% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Angels PR
Source: Angels PR
Josh Lowe Blasts Fifth Home Run, Showing Signs of Improvement at the Plate?
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Lowe connected on his fifth long ball of the year in the second inning off Aaron Civale in his team's extra-inning loss on Wednesday night. Lowe went 1-for-4 with two RBI and two strikeouts and is still hitting only .182 on the year with a 29.2% K%. However, he has been much more productive lately. In his last 10 games, he is 8-for-24 (.333) with a 47.1% hard-hit rate and a .379 wOBA. He has a .215 BABIP on the season, which is well below league average, and if more of his contact starts falling in, his average could climb in the next few weeks. The lefty remains in a platoon but does have a high ceiling despite his low batting average and high strikeout rate. If you're in a deep league, Lowe has shown enough signs over the last 10 games to watch him closely moving forward or try to get ahead of a surge with a speculative pickup. His power potential is clearly intriguing if he can continue his current momentum.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Jorge Soler Slowing Down in May, Still a Waiver Target for Power?
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler had five home runs and hit .253 (20-for-79) in 22 games (93 plate appearances) in April, but he has gone a bit quiet in May and is now hitting .221 (32-for-145) overall with eight long balls, 28 RBI, and 20 runs scored in 40 games in his 13th season in the majors. In 12 games so far in May, Soler has gone 8-for-43 (.186), and he hasn't gone deep at the plate since May 5. The rough patch of late has dropped his OPS on the year to .752, and his on-base percentage is down to .318. Soler's xwOBA sits at .318, and his expected slugging percentage is at .404 (currently .434). Soler is never going to be an asset for your fantasy teams' batting average, as he currently sits in the fifth percentile in strikeout rate, and he's in just the 65th percentile in hard-hit rate through a month and a half of the 2026 season. The Cuban outfielder can still be an asset for fantasy managers who are desperate for power, but he's extremely volatile and will kill your average. It's why he's still rostered in less than half of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Should Fantasy Managers Be Looking to Sell High on Mike Trout?
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout has looked like his vintage self early in the 2026 season, hitting .248/.414/.510 with 11 home runs, 23 RBI, 33 runs scored, and five stolen bases through his first 186 plate appearances. The 34-year-old owns a ridiculous 20.4% walk rate, and his 25.8% strikeout rate is a significant improvement from the 32% mark he posted in 2025. Trout's quality of contact is also elite, as his 23.2% barrel rate would be the best mark of his career over a full season. Despite all the encouraging indicators, fantasy managers still must consider selling high on Trout. While he's managed to stay healthy so far this year, Trout has topped 500 plate appearances in a season just once in 2019. Given how this decade has gone for Trout, his best stretch of 2026 may be already behind him. Trout's upside is high enough that holding him is defensible, but fantasy managers are also justified in moving him if they receive an offer that's too good to pass up.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jorge Soler Remains an Impact Power Bat Worth Targeting on the Waiver Wire
Across 157 plate appearances so far in 2026, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler is hitting .226/.325/.451 with eight home runs, 28 RBI, and 19 runs scored. With a 31.2% strikeout rate, Soler is unlikely to help fantasy managers in the batting average category. However, the 34-year-old remains a legitimate power bat even as he enters his mid-30s. Soler currently owns a 12.9% barrel rate, marking his eighth consecutive season with a barrel rate north of 12%. He's also managed to stay healthy this season after groin and back injuries limited him to just 315 plate appearances in 2025. As long as Soler can stay on the field in 2026, he should see every day playing time in the middle of the Angels lineup and could threaten 30 home runs. For fantasy managers searching for power on the waiver wire, Soler could be worth targeting.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
