The Angels claimed left-handed reliever Christian Friedrich from the Colorado Rockies on Friday, and designated Taylor Featherston for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster.
If Featherston doesn't clear waivers, the Angels would lose a player who they kept on the major league roster all of 2015 specifically so they could keep him.
Featherston, 26, hit just .162 after making the jump from Double-A, but the Angels saw potential in his bat, as well as him being the best defensive middle infielder who they had to back up in the majors. Because he came via the Rule 5 draft, the Angels couldn't option him to the minors.