Angels OF Justin Upton designated for assignment, likely headed for free agency

The Los Angeles Angels designated four-time All-Star outfielder Justin Upton for assignment Saturday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, meaning he'll likely hit free agency soon.

Upton, 34, was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Angels in August 2017, shortly after earning his fourth career All-Star nod. A couple of months after the deal, Los Angeles kept Upton with a five-year, $106 million contract.

While Upton finished his first season with the Angels with 30 home runs and 85 runs batted in, he struggled through injuries in his next three seasons with the team. In 2021, Upton spent a couple of stints on the injured list due to lower back issues and finished with a .211 batting average with 41 RBI in 89 games.

Upton is due to count $28 million against the Angels' salary cap in the likely scenario that no team chooses to trade for the outfielder. The decision to jettison the outfielder and eat that salary comes after Upton had strong showing in spring training with a .333 batting average, three home runs, 11 RBI and three walks in seven games. 

Los Angeles instead appears set to begin the regular season with Brandon Marsh and Taylor Ward taking on left field duties.