ANAHEIM >> Joe Maddon got his first look at Franklin Barreto in an Angels uniform on Wednesday.
For a while, that’s all Maddon and the Angels are going to do: Watch.
“You don’t just jump right in there (and make changes),” Maddon said. “I’m a big believer in that. Whether a guy in Rookie ball or a guy like this you’re just getting, give him a chance to be who he is. Watch him closely. He’ll come to you with questions. If he’s really in trouble, he’ll come ask questions. But something like this acquisition, let him go play.”
That won’t happen right away for Barreto, though. Just when the Angels acquired him from the Oakland A’s, there was a positive coronavirus test within the A’s traveling party. So the Angels had Barreto wait a few days before joining the team to make sure he was not infected.
Barreto said on Wednesday, after his first workout, that he has not done anything for a few days, so he would need a few days to get ready to play.
He is expecting to play regularly, though.
“They welcomed me and they pretty much told me that I have a lot of opportunity here and a lot of game time is coming for me,” Barreto said through an interpreter. “That’s good for me because that’s the way I can show I can play.”
Barreto, a former top prospect, never lived up to his potential offensively in parts of four seasons with the A’s. He hit .180 in 211 at-bats. After the trade, A’s General Manager David Forst conceded that they hadn’t really given him enough time to show what he could do.
“It was hard, because in the minors I was used to playing every day,” Barreto said. “Playing every day you can show everything.”
Maddon said the Angels plan to use Barreto at second, shortstop and third, and also the outfield.
PAYING THE MINOR LEAGUERS
Several Angels minor leaguers complained to Advocates for Minor Leaguers that they had not received the $400 weekly stipends that they were expecting to receive from the Angels through the end of August, according to the organization established this year to fight for better pay for minor leaguers.
An Angels spokesman responded that the team has “fully paid all of their minor league contracts for the 2020 season.”
The confusion apparently comes over what “fully paid” means. The Angels say that some players didn’t continue receiving the stipends for the whole year because they were paid only up until the stipends equaled what their full-season salary would have been.
According to Garrett Broshuis, a lawyer and former minor leaguer who created Advocates for Minor Leaguers, that is misleading. Teams don’t know how much minor leaguers would have earned because salaries increase as players are promoted to higher levels.
“We aren’t aware of any other team taking this approach,” Broshuis said, adding that “it seems like the Angels didn’t convey this information” to the players.
ALSODavid Fletcher was not in the lineup for the second game in a row because of a sprained ankle he suffered during Sunday’s game. Maddon said he’s not sure whether Fletcher will be available on Thursday. ”He is truly day to day,” Maddon said. With Fletcher not in his normal leadoff spot, Shohei Ohtani got his first career start batting at the top of the order. …
The Angels optioned Jahmai Jones after he got one pinch-running appearance in his big league debut on Monday. Jones was sent down to clear a roster spot for Barreto. …
The Angels also designated left-hander Ryan Buchter for assignment. Buchter appeared in 10 games and allowed three earned runs in six innings.
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