The Angels announced they have removed two infielders from the roster today. Carter Kieboom and Logan Davidson Both were cleared off waivers, and the Angels sent them directly to Triple-A Salt Lake City. This was Davidson’s first career job, so he had no choice but to accept the assignment. However, Kieboom was defeated by the Nationals in March 2024. As such, he had the right to decline the assignment in favor of free agency, a right he quickly exercised.
The Angels also struck out the right-hander, according to MLB.com’s trade tracking Connor Brogdon and Carson Fulmer (h/t to Ethan Hullihen on X). However, neither player was mentioned in the team’s announcement today. Both Brogdon and Fulmer have the necessary service time to decline being named outright as free agents, and the team may just be waiting for Brogdon and Fulmer to officially make that decision — which they almost certainly will, assuming they have indeed been removed from the 40-man roster.
Kieboom, 28, was a highly regarded prospect with the Nationals. However, he was unable to translate all of that potential into major league success. All told, he played 133 games for Washington from 2019-23, batting .199 and posting an OPS of .598. He struck out 138 times and had 17 doubles in 508 at-bats. His -2.0 FanGraphs WAR may be overstating the extent of his struggles with the Nationals — he was somewhat of a -0.6 fWAR in just 11 games in 2019 — but given those numbers, combined with his frequent injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get beat up before the 2024 campaign.
After slashing .265/.365/.386 (103 wRC+) in 91 games in Triple-A that year, Kieboom became a free agent and signed a minor league deal with the Angels last December. He had very similar numbers with the Salt Lake Bees through most of 2025 until the major league club optioned his contract in mid-September. He played first base for the first time in his MLB career, going 2-for-8 with one RBI in three games for Los Angeles. Now that he’s a free agent again, he may seek to sign a new minor league contract and try to earn a more substantial major league opportunity in 2026.
Davidson, 27, made his MLB debut with the Athletics earlier this year. He was the Athletics’ first-round pick in 2019, but declining defensive coverage and continued struggles with strikeouts have dimmed his prospects. He played nine games for the Athletics in May and June before being drafted and was designated for assignment about a month later. The Astros claimed him off waivers, but a .681 OPS in Triple-A Sugar Land led to another DFA in September. That’s when the Angels swooped in. Davidson went 4-for-22 in 10 games with Los Angeles before being drafted again late in the season. He will remain with the team for now and hopes to return to the major league roster.
