ANAHEIM — Niko Kavadas walked into the clubhouse of a team struggling offensively and found himself hitting cleanup.
In his major league debut.
Kavadas, a 25-year-old first baseman acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Luis Garcia trade a few weeks ago, showed no signs of being uncomfortable with the responsibility the Angels handed him on Day 1.
“I’m excited,” said Kavadas, who was the DH on Friday against Atlanta. “I’m really excited. There’s a lot of opportunities.”
The Angels have plenty of opportunities for young players, evident by the way they have run minor leaguers so quickly up to the big leagues. Kavadas doesn’t quite fit that mold, though. An 11th-round draft pick out of Notre Dame in 2021, Kavadas is in his fourth season of professional baseball.
He was hitting .264 with 19 homers and a .921 OPS in Triple-A, between the Red Sox and Angels organizations. A left-handed hitter, Kavadas is the prototypical three-true-outcomes player, striking out in 34% of his plate appearances and walking in 16%.
“He’s a guy that has some pop in his bat,” Manager Ron Washington said, adding that “He’s used to hitting in the fourth hole.”
Kavadas was just the second player in Angels history to start a game in the No. 4 spot in his major league debut. The other was Tim Salmon, in 1992.
The Angels put Kavadas in that spot as part of a lineup shuffle intended to shake the team out of its offensive malaise of the past six games.
Taylor Ward moved up to the leadoff spot, and Nolan Schanuel went from the No. 1 spot into the No. 3 spot, behind Zach Neto. Logan O’Hoppe, who entered Friday’s game in an 0-for-28 slump, moved from No. 3 to No. 5.
“We had a meeting about four or five days ago, and there were some suggestions in the room,” Washington said. “If we’re ever going to take an opportunity to try some things, it’s right now. … What I did with the lineup is not in stone. Just trying to figure some things out. See who can handle what. That’s all it is.”
Washington emphasized that it’s all subject to change.
“I’m stubborn,” he said, “but I’m flexible.”
OTHER MOVES
The Angels also called up infielder Jack López, who hadn’t been in the majors since a seven-game stint with the Red Sox in 2021. López, 31, was hitting .274 with a .754 OPS at Triple-A Salt Lake.
Washington said López can play second base, third and shortstop, and he’s good enough defensively to be used to late in games with a lead. López has also played all three outfield positions in the minors.
When asked what his most comfortable defensive position is, López said: “That’s like asking who is my favorite child.”
The defensive utility spot had been filled by Luis Guillorme, who was designated for assignment to open a spot.
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The Angels designated Willie Calhoun for assignment to open up a spot for Kavadas.
“We appreciate what they did for us,” Washington said. “But when you start to get down to this point in the year, those are the type of things that happen.”
NOTES
Jo Adell started on Friday night in center field, his fourth start of the season in center. Washington said earlier this month he wants to get more looks at Adell in center, now that they know Mike Trout won’t be playing the rest of the season. …
Many players had personalized bats and shoes as part of MLB’s Players’ Weekend. One of the more intriguing items was O’Hoppe’s chest protector. He had kids draw pictures on it during a recent hospital visit.
UP NEXT
Braves (RHP Chris Sale, 13-3, 2.61 ERA) at Angels (RHP Griffin Canning, 4-10, 5.11 ERA), Saturday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
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