Sammy Peralta is headed back to a familiar bullpen. The left-handed reliever signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night, just days after declining an outright assignment from the Colorado Rockies.
Peralta, 28, was designated for assignment by Colorado earlier in the week. He cleared waivers but chose to explore other options rather than report to Triple-A. The Angels, who signed him to a similar minor league contract back in May 2025, moved quickly to bring him in again.
This is getting to be a pattern for Peralta. He’s now made big league appearances in four straight seasons, bouncing between the White Sox, Angels and Rockies. His numbers aren’t pretty — a 5.40 ERA over 48 1/3 career innings with a 17.9% strikeout rate and an 11.4% walk rate — but teams keep giving him chances.
Rockies Stint Was Short and Unkind
Colorado claimed Peralta off waivers from the Brewers in early April. He got called up multiple times but only appeared in two games. One of those was his first career major league start, where he opened against the Rangers before Tanner Gordon took over. In 2 2/3 total innings with the Rockies, he allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four.
His previous run with the Angels late in 2025 wasn’t great either — a 7.59 ERA in 10 2/3 innings. But the organization clearly sees something they like.
The Sinker Changed Everything
Peralta doesn’t blow hitters away. His fastball sits 89-90 mph. What he does have is a growing pitch mix and a sinker that’s made a real difference. He added it in 2025 and has leaned on it more ever since, throwing it alongside a sweeper, slider and changeup.
His command took a noticeable jump after introducing that sinker. Last season at Salt Lake (the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate), he walked only 4.8% of batters over 70 2/3 innings. And he’s kept that up this year with a 5.7% walk rate and a 51.1% ground-ball rate in the minors.
Over parts of five Triple-A seasons, Peralta has a 4.79 ERA with a 23.2% strikeout rate and a 7.1% walk rate across 229 1/3 innings. Not elite, but solid enough to keep getting calls.
The Angels bullpen has been a revolving door for years. Peralta gives them another lefty option with some experience and a new approach that might finally click at the big league level. They’re betting a minor league deal is worth finding out.
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