ANAHEIM — Denzer Guzman showed something by tearing up Triple-A to get to the big leagues and by doing well when he first arrived.
Now, the Angels’ third baseman is going to have to prove he has the tools to stay.
Guzman was out of the lineup for a second straight day Wednesday because manager Kurt Suzuki wanted to give him extra time to work on needed adjustments.
“The last couple days we got him a couple work days,” Suzuki said. “Working with the hitting guys and with (infield coach Andy Schatzley), to kind of ease off his mind. He’ll be back out here again. Like we talked about, when you’re a young player and come up, they don’t know you. Once you start getting going, they’ll adjust to you. It’s that cat-and-mouse game. He’s a smart guy. Works hard. I’m very confident that he’s going to be adjusting back.”
Guzman, 22, hit .271 with an .827 OPS in his first 12 big-league games this season. Since then, he’s hit .229 with a .560 OPS. More recently, he’s in a 4-for-22 slump, with 11 strikeouts.
“As I have more time here, the pitchers make adjustments,” Guzman said through an interpreter. “I have to make my adjustments too. We’re here fighting.”
Guzman said he feels the changes he needs to make are more mental, with his approach, than physical changes with his swing.
“I’m not frustrated at all,” he said. “I’m just going to continue working and when good things are going to happen, they’re going to happen.”
A decision point may be coming soon. Veteran infielder Adam Frazier is currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A. When Frazier is ready, the Angels will likely need to make room by taking an infielder off the roster. If the Angels decide Guzman needs a reset at Triple-A, he could be optioned.
MINOR LEAGUERS ON TV
The Angels announced that they will air a series of minor-league games on ABTV, starting Thursday.
The Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas will be on Thursday and Saturday, with both games starting at 4:30 p.m. PT. The Triple-A Salt Lake Bees will be televised at 5 p.m. Sunday.
In the upcoming weeks, ABTV will air Double-A games on Aug. 6, Aug. 8, Sept. 3 and Sept. 6. Triple-A games will be shown on Aug. 9, Aug. 23 and Sept. 13.
NOTES
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (shoulder) was fine a day after facing hitters for the equivalent of two innings. “He feels good today,” Suzuki said. “He was in the gym this morning and said it feels normal.” …
Right-hander Ben Joyce (shoulder surgery) had his outing Monday in the Arizona Complex League shortened because of a sudden storm. Joyce threw only 11 pitches, but one of them was 103.1 mph. Joyce has pitched three innings in four games in the ACL this month. He’s allowed three runs, with four strikeouts and three walks. …
The Angels reportedly signed outfielder Cade Marlowe to a minor-league deal. Marlowe, 29, has played 42 big-league games with the Seattle Mariners, most recently in 2024. He was hitting .317 with a .914 OPS for the A’s Triple-A team this season. One of Marlowe’s three big-league homers was a ninth-inning grand slam against Angels closer Carlos Estévez in August 2023. It was one of the Angels’ seven straight losses immediately after the trade deadline that season.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Grayson Rodriguez, 3-3, 8.23) at Giants (RHP Logan Webb, 5-7, 3.87), 7:15 p.m. Friday, ABTV, 830 AM