Blash is signing a contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.
Blash was with the Angels for 24 games in 2018 and had a .103/.200/.128 slash line in 39 at-bats. The 29-year-old found significant success with Triple-A Salt Lake, however, posting a 188 wRC+ with 29 home runs despite a 29.5 percent strikeout rate. Blash has been unable to translate his minor-league excellence to the majors -- in large part due to his strikeout issues -- so he'll instead test his luck in Japan.
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Jabari Blash: Let go by Angels
Rotowire
The Angels requested unconditional release waivers on Blash on Thursday.
Blash was cut loose to free up room on the Angels' 40-man roster for Tommy La Stella, who was acquired from the Cubs in a corresponding move. The 29-year-old outfielder hit .317/.431/.700 with 29 homers across 83 games with Triple-A Salt Lake in 2018, though he's set to translate his minor-league success to the majors. Over parts of three big-league campaigns, Blash owns a .186/.306/.307 slash line.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Joins Angels for final month
Rotowire
Blash was recalled by the Angels on Tuesday.
Blash has appeared in 114 games over the last three season, struggling to a .192/.311/.318 slash line. The 29-year-old will be little more than a bench bat down the stretch.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Banished to minors
Rotowire
Blash was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.
Blash was bumped off the 25-man roster after Mike Trout (wrist) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list. Blash went 1-for-3 with a double and two strikeouts in one game during his latest stint in the big leagues.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Returns to Angels
Rotowire
Blash was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Blash is 2-for-23 in 27 plate appearances across multiple stints in the majors this season. Justin Upton (finger) was placed on the disabled list, prompting the Angels' need for an additional outfielder.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Heads to minors
Rotowire
Blash was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.
Blash was recalled July 13, but he went 0-for-5 with one RBI and five strikeouts during his latest stint with the big club. In a corresponding move, Eric Young Jr. was selected to the major leagues.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Promoted to big leagues
Rotowire
Blash was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.
Blash is headed to the big club after hitting .327 with 23 home runs and 51 RBI at Triple-A. In corresponding moves, Jose Fernandez was also recalled, while Michael Hermosillo was shipped to the minors.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Shipped to Triple-A
Rotowire
Blash was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.
Blash struggled mightily at the plate in seven games, as he went 2-for-18 with three walks and nine strikeouts. He was sent to the minor leagues to make room for the return of Jefry Marte.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Recalled from minors
Rotowire
Blash was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Blash has only appeared in seven games for the Angels this year but has been hitting the ball well at the Triple-A level, slashing .332/.439/.766 with 23 home runs and 51 RBI for the Bees in 58 games. With Chris Young (hamstring) headed to the disabled list in a corresponding move, Blash will serve as a fourth outfielder behind Justin Upton, Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun, likely seeing some starts against left-handed pitching.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Sent back to Triple-A
Rotowire
Blash was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.
Blash was removed from the roster to make room for the return of Kole Calhoun (oblique). In seven games with the Angels this season, Blash is just 2-for-18 with nine strikeouts.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: May see regular playing time in short term
Rotowire
Blash started in right field and went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in Tuesday's loss to Seattle.
Blash has started both games since being called up Monday, but he has gone 0-for-7 over that span. Despite the lack of production, it appears that manager Mike Scioscia is willing to give the free-swinging outfielder a look in right field while Kole Calhoun (oblique) remains on the disabled list. Blash has notoriously struggled at the major-league level despite crushing the ball in Triple-A over the past two seasons, so expectations should be modest.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Called up to majors
Rotowire
Blash was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.
Blash will head right into the Angels' lineup, batting seventh and playing right field against the Mariners. He hit a very strong .324/.421/.746 in 47 games for Salt Lake, though he has just a .201/.322/.332 line in 289 career major-league plate appearances. Michael Hermosillo was optioned to Salt Lake in a corresponding move.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
Blash was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
This is somewhat of a surprise, as Blash had been starting in right field for the Angels the past three days. He only collected two hits in his brief cup of coffee with the team, but he'll head back to the minors to get more playing time. Keynan Middleton was activated from the disabled list to replace him on the active roster.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Draws third straight start
Rotowire
Blash will start in right field and bat seventh Wednesday against the Rockies.
At least for the time being, Blash seems to have leapfrogged Kole Calhoun on the depth chart. Wednesday marks the righty-hitting Blash's third straight start, with the previous two coming against same-handed pitching. Blash went 1-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts in those contests, so he'll probably need to raise his production in the near future if he's to avoid falling into a platoon with Calhoun in right field.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Returns from minors
Rotowire
The Angels recalled Blash from Triple-A Salt Lake, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. Blash will start in right field and bat seventh Sunday against the Mariners, according to Fletcher.
Blash has been one of the most feared hitters in the Pacific Coast League this season, as he carried an enormous 1.291 OPS into Sunday before receiving the well-deserved promotion. The 28-year-old has been dominant at Triple-A the past four seasons, but his 35.8 percent strikeout rate over 279 plate appearances in the majors has prevented Blash from gaining much traction at the game's top level. Though he'll pick up a start Sunday, Blash is unlikely to handle a full-time role during his time with the big club unless one of Mike Trout, Justin Upton or Kole Calhoun sustains an injury.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Heads to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Angels optioned Blash to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.
Blash was traded to the Angels in February after being designated for assignment by the Yankees, and struggled in spring training with a .095 batting average, .519 OPS and two home runs in 21 at-bats. The 28-year-old has posted a .200/.323/.336 slash line in 235 at-bats with the Padres over the past two seasons, and is likely to serve as organizational outfield depth for the Angels to start 2018.
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Angels' Jabari Blash: Sent to Angels
Rotowire
Blash was traded to the Angels in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Blash was designated for assignment by the Yankees earlier in the week in order to clear a roster spot for the recently acquired Brandon Drury. With this trade, he'll join the Angels' 40-man roster; in a corresponding move, Alex Meyer (shoulder) was shifted to the 60-day DL. Blash, who hit .213/.333/.341 in 61 games with the Padres last season, should get a chance to compete for a role as the team's fourth outfielder during camp. If he impresses in camp, he could open the season on the short side of a platoon with Kohl Calhoun in right field, as he hit a respectable .290/.380/.478 in 79 plate appearances against southpaws in 2017.
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Yankees' Jabari Blash: Designated for assignment Tuesday
Rotowire
Blash was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Tuesday.
The Yankees acquired Brandon Drury on Tuesday, so designating Blash for assignment was a procedural move to make room for Drury on the 25-man roster. Prior to this move, Blash wasn't expected to see much time in New York's lineup due to the team's depth across the outfield. Over 61 games with the Padres last season, Blash hit .213/.333/.341 with five home runs.
Blash was traded to the Yankees on Tuesday in exchange for Chase Headley and Bryan Mitchell, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
It would not be surprising if Blash were designated for assignment at some point this offseason, as the trade was a straight salary dump for the Yankees. The 28-year-old outfielder has huge raw power, but can't hit big-league pitching (.200 average, 35.8 percent strikeout rate in 279 plate appearances). To make matters worse, he now finds himself in the organization with the most outfield depth in baseball, so he has very little shot of getting significant major-league playing time with the Yankees.
