ANGELS ACQUIRE SS ARJUN NIMMALA, OF EDDIE MICHELETTI JR., AND RHP ANGEL RIVERO FROM TORONTO
ANAHEIM – The Angels today acquired minor league SS Arjun Nimmala, OF Eddie Micheletti Jr., and RHP Angel Rivero from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for RHP José Soriano.
Nimmala, 20, was Toronto’s first-round selection (20th overall) in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft. He currently ranks as the Blue Jays top prospect by Baseball America and #39 overall on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospect list.
After beginning the year in Single-A, the Tampa, FL native was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire on May 3, where he has gone on to hit .279 (34/122) with 21 runs scored, nine doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, and a .806 OPS in 33 games. He has reached base safely in 27 of 33 games with the Fisher Cats this season and batted .417 (10/24) with a 1.295 OPS against left-handed pitching. On the season, Nimmala owns a .946 fielding percentage across 403.1 innings at shortstop across all levels.
Micheletti, 24, has appeared in 93 games for Double-A New Hampshire this season where he has totaled 20 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 45 RBI and an .801 OPS. He ranks tied for second in the Eastern League in triples, tied for seventh in runs (60) and extra-base hits (38) and 10th in total bases (157). He has struck out in just 17.5% of his plate appearances this season, which is the ninth-best rate in the Eastern League. A Wilmington, DE native, Micheletti was selected by Toronto in the eighth round of the 2024 Draft out of Virginia Tech.
Rivero, 19, made 12 appearances (nine starts) with the FCL Blue Jays this season, going 0-1 with a 2.36 ERA (42.0 IP – 11 ER) and 52 strikeouts. Rivero led the FCL Blue Jays in strikeouts, games started, and innings pitched in 2026 and his 52 strikeouts tied for fifth-most across the Florida Complex League. He ended the FCL season with a 17.2 IP scoreless streak from June 26 – July 25, which included the postseason. The right-hander was ranked by Baseball America as one of the top 20 prospects in the FCL at the conclusion of the 2026 season. A native of Cumana, Venezuela, Rivero began his professional career with the DSL Blue Jays in 2024 after being signed by Toronto as an international free agent January 15, 2024.
Soriano, 27, pitched to a 9-6 record and 3.29 ERA (123 IP – 45 ER) and 127 strikeouts in 22 starts for the Angels this season. For his career, he has gone 26-27 with a 3.72 ERA (447 IP – 185 ER) and 432 strikeouts in 113 games (73 starts) across parts of four seasons with the Angels. Soriano was originally signed by the Angels as an international free agent in 2016 and was returned to the organization by Pittsburgh in November 2021 after the Pirates selected him in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft.
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