The Angels signed righty Jake Petricka to a minor league deal, purchasing his contract from the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League. (The Rockers’ Twitter feed announced the move earlier this week.)
Petricka’s last MLB appearance was on April 26, 2019, while pitching for the Brewers. He was dealt to the Rangers later that season and then signed a minors contract with the Blue Jays prior to the 2020 campaign, though neither of those changes of scenery resulted in any big league playing time. After multiple offseason workouts for scouts didn’t result in a new contract with a Major League organization, Petricka signed with the Rockers in May, and ended up pitching just a single scoreless inning for the club.
Best known for his time as a stalwart member of the White Sox bullpen, Petricka’s career was largely thrown off-track after a pair of injury-plagued seasons in 2016 and 2017. He posted a 3.24 ERA over 144 1/3 innings with Chicago from 2013-15, but only a 5.15 ERA over 87 1/3 innings with the White Sox, Blue Jays, and Brewers from 2016-19, largely due to a big spike in his home run rate.
Today marks Petricka’s 33rd birthday, so there’s still time for him to get a second act in the big leagues. Given the struggles of the Angels’ bullpen, Petricka might get an opportunity sooner rather than later as the team continues to look for stability in the relief corps.