Jo Adell, one of baseball's most promising outfield prospects, was called back up by the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, shortly after another hot stretch for the team's Triple-A affiliate.
Adell, 22, homered in four consecutive games last week and was batting .289/.342/.592 with 23 home runs and eight stolen bases in 73 games for the Salt Lake Bees. The Angels initially had him in the lineup for the series opener against the Texas Rangers -- starting in left field, with fellow top prospect Brandon Marsh in center -- but removed him because he arrived too late to start.
Adell was the 10th-rated prospect by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel heading into 2020 but struggled mightily both offensively and defensively during the COVID-19-shortened season. The Angels waited to call him up this year, even though they had obvious outfield needs with Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Dexter Fowler all out with injuries, the latter of whom underwent season-ending knee surgery in April.
Adell will share an outfield with Marsh for the foreseeable future and is the latest in what resembles a youth moment for an Angels team on the fringes of contention. On Sunday, Reid Detmers, a 22-year-old starting pitcher who was drafted 10th overall in 2020, made his major league debut. On Monday, 23-year-old right-hander Chris Rodriguez, who debuted as a reliever earlier in the year, got the start.
Adell batted .161/.212/.266 with 55 strikeouts in 38 games and misplayed several balls while serving as the Angels' everyday right fielder last summer. Playing time for Adell has opened because of Trout's lingering calf injury, which has kept him out since May 17. Trout was initially expected back around this time, but his rehab has hit something of a lull.
Prior to the game, speaking before Adell's promotion was announced, Angels manager Joe Maddon said, "It's very important for us going into the offseason to know exactly what we have and what we need to do to move forward for next year.
"Having said that," Maddon added, "that does not mean conceding to anything at all. We believe that these young guys are ready to play here and be part of a winning environment."