The Angels selected the contracts of outfielder Wade Meckler and infielder Donovan Walton on May 22, adding two depth pieces to a roster thinned by injuries and recent 40-man maneuvering. Meckler replaced Josh Lowe on the active roster, while Yoán Moncada went on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation.

For Meckler, 26, it is another turn in a brief but busy run through the organization. The Angels claimed him off waivers in January 2026 and outrighted him a few weeks later. He opened this season at Triple-A Salt Lake, was sent to Double-A Rocket City after five games and then forced his way back into the discussion with a.343/.449/.525 line there. He also posted a.395 batting average on balls in play and matching walk and strikeout rates of 16%, numbers that suggest he was controlling at-bats as well as producing in them.

Meckler is not a stranger to the majors. He debuted with the Giants in 2023 and hit.232/.328/.250 in 64 plate appearances that year. In the minors, his track record has been built more on contact, patience and on-base ability than power: 1,393 minor league plate appearances, a 14.2% walk rate, a 16.6% strikeout rate and 21 home runs. That profile is now getting another look in Anaheim, where the Angels have been trying to patch together a lineup around Mike Trout, Jo Adell and Josh Lowe in the outfield.

Walton brings a different kind of value. He will turn 32 next week, debuted in 2019 and is technically entering his seventh big league season, though he has appeared in only 72 major league games. His major league line is light,.172/.223/.298 in 214 plate appearances, but he has played all three infield spots to the left of first base and also left field. The Angels signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason, and he rewarded that chance with a.282/.429/.481 line at Triple-A this year, good for a 128 wRC+ in Pacific Coast League context. Across 1,647 Triple-A plate appearances, Walton owns a.281/.372/.439 line.

The moves came after the Angels created room on the 40-man roster earlier in the week by outrighting Alek Manoah and transferring Yusei Kikuchi to the 60-day injured list. That cleared the path for a pair of players with different skill sets but similar timing: one contact hitter trying to turn a hot stretch into a foothold, and another veteran utility piece getting another chance to matter at the highest level.

For the Angels, the immediate question is whether either player sticks long enough to change the shape of the roster, or whether both are simply the latest answers to injuries that keep forcing the club to reshuffle around the edges.