The Los Angeles Dodgers traded relief pitcher Adam McCreery and catcher Josh Thole to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for cash considerations on Friday. The deal was related to activating A.J. Pollock off the 60-day injured list.
The Dodgers had already cleared a spot on their active roster earlier this week by optioning Kyle Garlick and Edwin Rios to Triple-A Oklahoma City and only activating David Freese off the injured list at the time.
Trading McCreery made room to add Pollock back to the 40-man roster. The Dodgers acquired McCreery in a trade with the Atlanta Braves last November, and he spent time this season with Double-A Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
McCreery appeared in a combined 30 games for the affiliates, going 2-1 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.74 WHIP. The 26-year-old is 10-11 with a 3.51 ERA and 282 strikeouts over 163 career Minor League games.
McCreery made his MLB debut with the Braves last season, though only appeared in one game and allowed two runs on four hits over his lone inning of work.
Thole joined the Dodgers on a Minor League contract in January. His deal included an opt-out clause if not added to a Major League roster by July 1. That never manifested but Thole remained with the organization, playing for both the Drillers and Oklahoma City Dodgers.
He hit a combined .245/.348/.302 with five doubles, one home run and 14 RBI. Thole made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2009 and spent parts of four seasons with them. He additionally was up in the Majors with the Toronto Blue Jays during stretches from 2013-16.
Thole may very well make a return to the big leagues as the Angels are facing a bit of a crunch with Jonathan Lucroy and Kevan Smith both on the injured list.
McCreery and Thole were among the Dodgers’ non-roster invitees to Spring Training this year.
