HOUSTON -- Kyle Kubitza, not long removed from being considered the Angels' third baseman of the future, was basically sold to the Rangers on Tuesday, dealt for cash considerations eight days after being designated for assignment.
The Angels used one of their top-flight pitching prospects, then-17-year-old Ricardo Sanchez, to acquire Kubitza from the Braves in January 2015. Former general manager Jerry Dipoto was hopeful that Kubitza would become the everyday third baseman by 2016, but the 25-year-old underwhelmed in Triple-A the last two years and was recently used to clear space on the 40-man roster.
"Kyle has tools," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's just he was a little slow putting it together in Triple-A the way we'd like to see the last couple years."
Kubitza batted an uninspiring .271/.357/.433 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in 2015, then .253/.349/.366 in 2016. He also batted just .194/.256/.194 in 19 Major League games last year and wasn't as polished defensively as the Angels' other third-base prospect, former first-round Draft pick Kaleb Cowart.
So when they needed additional bullpen arms last week, the Angels placed Kubitza on waivers with the expectation that another team would probably take a chance on him.
"He'll get a fresh start," Scioscia said. "I think he definitely has ability."
Worth noting
• Albert Pujols, who spoke recently about lingering pain in his left hamstring and ankle, was out of the starting lineup on Tuesday. Scioscia called it "a recharge day," but wouldn't guarantee that the 36-year-old would return to the lineup on Wednesday. Daniel Nava took Pujols' place in the cleanup spot.
• Scioscia said Nick Tropeano's Thursday rehab start would have to be "off the charts" in order for that to be enough to be activated off the disabled list. Tropeano will probably require at least two rehab starts. The 25-year-old is on the DL with shoulder tightness and is scheduled for five innings with Class A Advanced Inland Empire on Thursday.
• The Angels signed their sixth-round pick, high-school pitcher Cole Duensing, for $501,300, significantly more than the slot value of $260,300 for the 186th overall pick, according to MLB.com's Jim Callis. The Angels have now signed nine of their top 10 picks, leaving only their second-rounder, high-school outfielder Brandon Marsh.
Alden Gonzalez