Rivera was returned to the Astros on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The Angels selected Rivera with the eighth pick of the Rule 5 draft in December, but he made just one relief appearance during Cactus League play. The right-hander tossed a scoreless inning while striking out one during his outing, but he'll now return to Houston ahead of the 2021 season. The right-hander has yet to pitch above Low-A but could progress in the minors this year.
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Angels' Jose Alberto Rivera: Pitching in 'B' game
Rotowire
Rivera is listed among the Angels' available bullpen options for Monday's "B" game, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Rivera was a late arrival to spring training while he dealt with visa issues, but he's since resolved his immigration status and has cleared all COVID-19 intake testing. A Rule 5 selection in December, Rivera is expected to break camp as a member of the Los Angeles bullpen, but the Angels likely won't count on the 24-year-old to fill a high-leverage role to begin the season.
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Angels' Jose Alberto Rivera: Dealing with visa issues
Rotowire
Rivera will be a late arrival to spring training due to visa issues, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Rivera was selected by the Angels with the eighth pick of the Rule 5 draft in December, but he'll be unavailable for the start of spring training due to issues with his visa. He'll likely begin the 2021 season in the minors working mainly as a reliever, although the team could also continue developing him as a starter going forward.
