The Angels announced that Jeimer Candelario was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake after being designated for assignment on Saturday. The team didn’t specify whether the veteran infielder will accept the assignment or elect free agency.

Candelario may prefer to stick in the organization rather than pursue what would surely be a minor league opportunity elsewhere. The 32-year-old broke camp with the Halos as a non-roster invitee. He appeared in seven regular season games, going 2-18 while striking out eight times. Candelario had slugged four home runs during Spring Training but fanned 19 times in 59 exhibition plate appearances.

The switch-hitter hasn’t been able to find his footing since signing a three-year free agent deal with Cincinnati over the 2023-24 offseason. Candelario was coming off a .251/.336/.471 showing and had been a well above-average hitter in three of the preceding four years. He owns a .204/.263/.389 batting line in 574 plate appearances over the past two-plus seasons.

Candelario played through knee discomfort during the 2024 season. He spent time on the injured list with a broken toe and a lumbar spine strain over the past two years. He couldn’t get on track after being released by the Reds, hitting .203/.289/.357 over 61 Triple-A games in the Yankees system to close the ’25 campaign.

The Halos are looking for consistent production out of second and third base. Adam Frazier, Oswald Peraza and Vaughn Grissom are all rotating through the keystone. Peraza also offers a glove-first alternative to the struggling Yoán Moncada at the hot corner.