Former SF Giants standout reliever returns to the majors with the Angels

Reyes Moronta's tenure with the SF Giants came to an end at the end of the 2021 season and he has bounced around since then. The hard-throwing reliever is back in the majors after the Los Angeles Angels selected his contract according to the team's transaction log.

Former SF Giants standout reliever returns to the majors with the Angels

The right-handed reliever debuted with the Giants in 2017 and immediately entrenched himself as a leverage reliever. He was fantastic during his tenure with San Francisco as he registered a 2.65 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.17 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, and a 2.22 SO/W ratio across four seasons.

It was expected that he would eventually become the team's closer as he consistently proved to be one of the tougher relievers to hit. However, that never came to fruition as Moronta suffered a scary shoulder injury while throwing a pitch in an early Septemeber game against the San Diego Padres in 2019.

He underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. It was an extensive recovery process that kept him on the injured list for the entire 2020 season. He did return to the mound with the Giants the following season.

Though, Moronta demonstrated a noticeable decline in his four-seam fastball velocity, so he spent much of that year in Triple-A where he struggled with both velocity and command. In a mild surprise, the Giants outrighted him off of the 40-man roster near the end of the 2021 season, thus making him a free agent.

Moronta did not stray far as he spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations. He recorded a 4.30 ERA in 39 appearances, but the good news was that his four-seam fastball velocity returned closer to his career norm.

The 30-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers this winter, which included a camp invite. Reuniting with Bruce Bochy felt like a feel-good story for Moronta. However, he did not make the club and became a free agent.

The righty signed with the Angels earlier this month and reported to Triple-A where he tallied nine strikeouts against only one walk in four innings of work. Even if it was brief, this was one of his more encouraging stretches in years and the Angels were impressed by what they saw.