Angels DFA Joey Lucchesi, Call Up Mitch Farris — What It Means for the LAA Bullpen

Per the team's announcement Wednesday, the Angels have designated left-hander Joey Lucchesi for assignment and recalled fellow lefty Mitch Farris from Triple-A Salt Lake. Lucchesi had just been added to the roster Sunday — his second stint with Los Angeles this season — and lasted all of two appearances before getting cut loose again, combining for a single inning of work across both outings.

Lucchesi's rapid cycle through the 40-man roster is less a story about one pitcher and more a window into the Angels' bullpen depth problem. A 32-year-old southpaw who can't survive 48 hours on a major league roster is organizational filler, and the fact that he was the answer to a roster need — twice — tells you something about how thin the left-handed relief options are in Anaheim. Farris, 26, now gets his shot out of Salt Lake, though his track record at the big league level is equally unproven.

The mechanical reality here is straightforward: when a team is cycling fringe arms in and out of a bullpen at this pace, opposing offenses — particularly right-handed hitters who feast on soft-tossing lefties — have a structural advantage. The Angels are not hiding a secret weapon. They are patching holes.

For tonight and any near-term Angels games, the bullpen volatility tilts the needle toward opposing team totals. When Anaheim falls behind or even plays from a tie late, the relievers entering the game are legitimately uncertain quantities. That's a meaningful edge when evaluating over/unders. Angels opponents' team totals in the 4.5–5.5 range deserve a lean toward the over, particularly in games where the Angels starter is expected to work five innings or fewer and hand off to a committee that now includes a freshly called-up arm. LAA's own team total is less interesting — their offense has its own limitations — but the pitching instability is the real variable to track here.

Farris will also draw immediate scrutiny on any strikeout props if he appears. Without an established swing-and-miss profile at the MLB level, betting against a high K total on Farris in debut or early outings is the sensible lean. Monitor his usage closely — if he's deployed in multi-out situations against right-handed bats, the matchup disadvantage compounds quickly.