The second member of Brad Ausmus' coaching staff is officially in place, as the Angels promoted Jeremy Reed to be their new hitting coach on Friday. Reed, who will replace Eric Hinske, has served as the club's Minor League hitting coordinator for the past two seasons.
Several Angels players, including right fielder Kole Calhoun, credited Reed with helping them improve their offensive performances in 2018. After hitting just .145 with a .374 OPS and one home run through his first 50 games of the season, Calhoun went to Arizona and worked with Reed to develop a new batting stance. After returning from the disabled list on June 18, Calhoun batted .242 with an .800 OPS and 18 home runs over his final 87 games of the year.
Reed, 37, played parts of eight seasons in the Majors as an outfielder for the Mariners, Mets, Blue Jays and Brewers. He previously served as the hitting coordinator for the Brewers from 2014-16.
Reed and new pitching coach Doug White are the only confirmed members of Ausmus' staff thus far, though the Angels are expected to announce the rest of their coaches in the coming weeks.
Worth noting
• The Angels claimed right-hander Austin Brice off waivers from the Reds on Friday. Brice, 26, logged a 5.79 ERA over 37 1/3 innings in 33 relief appearances this past season.
• Left-hander John Lamb, infielder Sherman Johnson and catcher Joe Hudson cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake.
• Five other players cleared waivers and were removed from the Angels' 40-man roster on Friday: right-handers Eduardo Paredes, Odrisamer Despaigne and William McGuire, infielder Jefry Marte and catcher Francisco Arcia.
• Jake Jewell, Alex Meyer, Keynan Middleton, JC Ramirez, Nick Tropeano, Zack Cozart and Jose Pujols were also reinstated from the 60-day disabled list, giving the Angels 39 players on their 40-man roster. They will have to create more space later this month if they want to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. The deadline for teams to set their 40-man rosters is Nov. 20.