Escobar's .122/.143/.268 slash line over 42 plate appearances during spring training didn't give him much of a chance to make the Blue Jays' roster as a non-roster invitee. The veteran infielder also struggled with the Angels and Mets last season with a .613 OPS in 100 contests, and his days as a major leaguer could be over.
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Blue Jays' Eduardo Escobar: Clubs homer Wednesday
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Escobar went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.
The 35-year-old switch-hitter is trying to win a spot on Toronto's bench, and Wednesday's long ball in the seventh inning off Carmen Mlodzinski can only help his case. Escobar also struck out in his other at-bat, and through 11 spring appearances he's batting just .103 (3-for-29) with a brutal 1:12 BB:K. He may be running out of time to prove he can still make a contribution on a big-league roster.
Escobar signed a contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Escobar suffered through a miserable 2023 season, during which he posted a .267 wOBA and 66 wRC+ across 309 plate appearances split between the Mets and Angels. At 35 years old, he's not likely to see a major rebound in his results, but he could earn consistent at-bats at third base to begin the campaign.
The Angels declined Escobar's $9 million team option for 2024 on Friday.
After slashing just .226/.269/.344 across 309 plate appearances between the Mets and Angels, passing on Escobar's $9 million option was likely an easy decision for the Halos. Escobar will turn 35 in January and will likely have to settle for a bench role with his new organization, if he's even able to secure a major-league contract.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: On bench Sunday
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Escobar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Escobar is 3-for-24 with nine strikeouts over his past eight games, and he'll take a seat for Sunday's series finale in Minnesota. The veteran infielder will likely have a lesser role during the final week of the regular season with Mike Moustakas (forearm) being reinstated from the injured list.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Sits down Friday
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Escobar isn't in the Angels' lineup Friday against the Twins, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Escobar broke his 0-for-13 stretch at the plate with a hit during Thursday's loss against Tampa Bay, and he'll get a breather for Friday's series opener. Michael Stefanic will start at third base and bat ninth.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Not starting Tuesday
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Escobar is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Escobar has operated as the Halos' primary third baseman over the past couple weeks but will sit Tuesday while in the midst of a 1-for-15 slump. David Fletcher will take over at the hot corner and bat ninth.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Draws seventh straight start
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Escobar will start at third base and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
Escobar is without a direct path to an everyday role at any one spot in the infield, but he'll pick up his seventh consecutive start Wednesday, with six coming at third base. Even if Mike Moustakas' wrist injury doesn't cost him any further playing time, Escobar should still play regularly over the lefty-hitting Moustakas when the Angels face right-handed pitchers. Escobar hasn't done much to take advantage of the recent uptick in playing time, going 3-for-21 with one run and no RBI over his past six starts.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Homers in loss
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Escobar went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's loss to Oakland.
Escobar's sixth home run of the year was a two-run shot to put the Angels on the board in the fourth inning. He snapped a 19-game homerless drought, during which he posted a .528 OPS with just two RBI. He's now slashing .239/.283/.378 with 16 extra-base knocks through 248 plate appearances.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Moves to bench Monday
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Escobar is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Atlanta, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Escobar had picked up three starts in the Angels' last four games, but he appears poised for a downturn in playing time moving forward after Anaheim bolstered its infield Sunday with the acquisition of C.J. Cron. With Cron and Mike Moustakas expected to serve as the team's regular starters in the corner infield versus right-handed pitching, Escobar may be relegated to the short side of a platoon at third base with Moustakas.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Playing time trending up
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Escobar will start at third base and bat seventh in Sunday's game in Toronto, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Escobar appeared to settle into a part-time role coming out of the All-Star break, but injuries to multiple position players have since paved the way for the 34-year-old to pick up more work. He'll be in the lineup Sunday for the fifth time in seven games, with all of his starts during that stretch coming at first or third base.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Hits first homer as Angel
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Escobar went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in the second contest of Thursday's doubleheader against Detroit.
Escobar sat out the first game of the twin bill before starting at first base and batting eighth in Game 2. The veteran contributed to a four-homer effort for Los Angeles, swatting a solo shot to right field in the fourth inning. It was his first long ball since joining the Angels on June 23 -- in fact, prior to Thursday, he hadn't gone deep in 35 total games dating back to May 16 against Tampa Bay when he was still a member of the Mets. Escobar has just five homers in 60 games overall this season after going deep at least 20 times in each of his previous two campaigns.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Sitting out Friday
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Escobar is absent from the lineup Friday against the Pirates.
Luis Rengifo will handle second base and Mike Moustakas is playing third versus the Pirates and right-hander Johan Oviedo. Escobar has slashed just .250/.283/.286 in 16 games (60 plate appearances) since the Angels acquired him from the Mets in late June.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Sitting Tuesday
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Escobar is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Yankees, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Escobar will take a seat after he went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and two strikeouts in Monday's series opener. Michael Stefanic will draw the start at second base and bat ninth versus New York.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Gets another look at keystone
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Escobar will start at second base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Escobar will stick in the lineup for the fourth time in five games, with the veteran having made two starts apiece at third base and second base. The latter position will likely represent Escobar's primary path to steady at-bats at least through the All-Star break, after Brandon Drury (shoulder) was moved to the 10-day injured list Sunday. Since being acquired from the Mets on June 23, Escobar has gone 6-for-21 with five runs and an RBI over his first six games with the Halos.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Back from citizenship test
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The Angels activated Escobar from the restricted list Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Escobar was excused from the team Monday to take -- and successfully pass -- his United States citizenship test. He is not in the Angels' starting lineup Tuesday night against the White Sox but should be available off the bench.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Excused for citizenship test
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Escobar was excused from the Angels on Monday to take his United States citizenship test, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Escobar has to travel to Florida for the test but is only expected to miss the first game of the Angels' four-game series against the visiting White Sox. He'll technically be on the restricted list while he's away from the club. Mike Moustakas is playing third base and batting fifth for the Halos in Monday's series opener versus Chicago.
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Angels' Eduardo Escobar: Sitting Monday
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Escobar isn't in the Angels' lineup Monday against the White Sox, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Escobar has made a good first impression since debuting for the Angels on Saturday, going 4-for-8 with an RBI and five runs scored in his first two games. He'll step aside Monday for Mike Moustakas to make his own Angels debut while batting fifth.
