Ward went 0-for-4 in Monday's Cactus League loss to Cincinnati, but he is slashing .333/.389/.515 with a home run, three doubles, six runs and five RBI over 36 plate appearances this spring.
Ward is coming off a career year in 2022, when he slashed .281/.360/.473 with 23 homers, 65 RBI, 73 runs and five stolen bases. The breakthrough helped him become one of fantasy's top waiver-wire pickups, and he's typically going within the top 130 picks in mixed-league drafts heading into this season. Ward has a stranglehold on the starting job in left field for the Angels and had solid peripheral stats last season, so he could easily match or exceed his 2022 numbers if he's able to remain healthy.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
Ward and the Angels agreed on a one-year, $2.75 million contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
The 29-year-old had a career year in 2022, batting .281 with 23 homers, 65 RBI, 73 runs and five stolen bases over 495 at-bats in 135 games last season. Ward will head into 2023 as the Angels' starting left fielder and penciled into a prime spot in the batting order.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Keeps mashing Monday
Rotowire
Ward went 2-for-5 with two doubles, a run and an RBI in Monday's extra-inning loss versus the Athletics.
Ward continued his torrid stretch with two more hits Monday, both doubles. Over his last 18 games, he is batting .426 (29-for-68) with seven doubles, five home runs and 26 combined runs and RBI. Ward has had a streaky season, but he is finishing on an upswing, which is validated by his near-elite Statcast metrics. He should be a viable option for fantasy managers in 2023.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Racks up three more hits
Rotowire
Ward went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Rangers.
Ward has surged at the plate over the last week, going 12-for-23 (.522) with five multi-hit efforts in his last six games. The surge has lifted his batting average to .284, its highest point since July 26. He's added an .842 OPS, 23 home runs, 64 RBI, 72 runs scored and five stolen bases through 132 contests.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Stays hot with three hits
Rotowire
Ward went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's win over the Athletics.
Ward is on fire at the plate, and he continued the trend with three hits Thursday, including a solo homer in the third inning to put Los Angeles up 3-0. The long ball was Ward's 23rd on the season and sixth in September, during which he is batting .364 (32-for-88) with two stolen bases and a strong 10:16 K:BB. He has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games on his way to a strong finish to a breakout campaign.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
Remember that miserable stretch early in the season when a combination of cold temperatures and newly installed humidors was suppressing offense leaguewide? Ward was a rare exception, hitting .370 with nine homers and a 1.194 OPS in his first 30 games. You may have presumed it was a fluke given the way his season has gone since then, but he's suddenly producing again. With a two-homer game Friday, he's now batting .325 with four homers and a .925 OPS in September. Ward's downturn in May began right about the time he missed a few games with a shoulder injury, so maybe it's taken this long for him to feel right again. Even if it's just a coincidence, you have to like that he's facing nothing but Athletics and Rangers pitchers the rest of the way.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Sleeper hitters for Week 26 (Sept. 26-Oct. 5)
Rotowire
Ward caught the league by surprise the first two months and then went missing thereafter, but he's suddenly showing signs of life again with a .329 batting average (24 for 73) and four home runs in September. The Angels have the second-best hitter matchups this week, featuring three games against Rangers pitchers and six against Athletics pitchers.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Homers twice in win
Rotowire
Ward went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in a 4-2 victory over the Twins on Friday.
Ward extended his hitting streak to nine games with the pair of solo shots. Ward now has 21 home runs and is slashing .274/.357/.460 in 452 at-bats this season. The 28-year-old right fielder has made the most of his increased playing time in 2022 and has proven that he belongs in an everyday role with a big-league club.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Two-run shot in loss
Rotowire
Ward went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Rangers.
Ward provided the only offense for the Angels with a two-run homer in the first inning. The home run was Ward's 19th of the season and comes amidst a modest seven-game hitting streak. During that stretch, he is 11-for-25 with one home run, six RBI and four runs scored.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Nabs steal
Rotowire
Ward went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Mariners.
Ward has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games, going 16-for-42 (.381) with three extra-base hits in that span. The steal was his fourth of the season and first since July 26, as the 28-year-old outfielder hasn't provided much of a speed boost this year. The hot month at the plate has lifted his slash line to .270/.355/.440 with 18 home runs, 53 RBI and 62 runs scored through 498 plate appearances.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Three hits, two RBI in win
Rotowire
Ward went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 8-7 win over the Mariners.
Ward has produced four multi-hit efforts in his last nine games, going 13-for-32 (.406) in that span. He hit a two-run single in the first inning to give the Angels an early lead, snapping a four-game stretch without an RBI. The outfielder is back up to a .269/.356/.443 slash line with 18 home runs, 53 RBI, 62 runs scored and three stolen bases, and his double Friday gave him a career-high 16 through 117 contests.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Chips in with three hits
Rotowire
Ward went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.
Ward delivered the opening run with an RBI single in the first inning. He added two more singles in the game and scored a run on a Mike Ford double in the fifth. The three-hit effort extended Ward's hitting streak to five games, his longest in a month. The outfielder is up to a .266/.352/.444 slash line with 18 home runs, 51 RBI, 60 runs scored and three stolen bases in 112 contests.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Goes deep in loss
Rotowire
Ward went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to Houston.
Ward swatted a solo shot in the ninth inning off Astros closer Ryan Pressly, but the Angels still fell short by a run. The long ball extended a modest four-game hit streak for the outfielder, during which he's gone 5-for-14 with two extra-base hits and three RBI. Ward was red hot early in the campaign but is slashing just .225/.299/.337 with eight homers over 76 games since the start of June.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Activated from restricted list
Rotowire
Ward (personal) was reinstated from the restricted list Monday.
Ward was unavailable for the Angels' three-game series in Toronto this weekend due to his vaccination status, but he'll start in right field and bat fifth Monday against the Yankees now that the Angels are back home. The 28-year-old has hit .216 with four home runs, three doubles, 11 RBI and six runs over 23 games since the start of August.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Unavailable in Toronto
Rotowire
Ward (personal) was placed on the restricted list Friday.
Ward is apparently unvaccinated, so he's unable to travel to Canada for the three-game series in Toronto this weekend. The 28-year-old should rejoin the active roster ahead of Monday's series opener against the Yankees. Ryan Aguilar was promoted in a corresponding move and could see some playing time in right field with Ward out.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: HIts homer in loss
Rotowire
Ward went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Ward's homer in the fourth inning put the Angels on the board, though the Rays already held a big lead at the time. The long ball was another sign the 28-year-old is breaking out of a slump that saw him hit .173 over his first 20 games in August. Across his past three contests, he has gone 6-for-13 with two RBI.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Breaks out of slump with three hits
Rotowire
Ward went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's extra-innings loss against Tampa Bay.
After recording just one hit in his previous 22 at bats, Ward notched three hits Wednesday to break out of his slump. The outfielder has cooled off significantly since slashing .286/.380/.492 prior to the All-Star break, as he entered Wednesday's matchup with a .184/.275/.307 line in 131 second-half plate appearances. Hopefully, the three-hit effort is a sign that he can return to his early-season form.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Delivers walkoff homer
Rotowire
Ward went 2-for-5 with a walkoff two-run home run in Saturday's 5-3 extra-innings win over the Twins.
Ward completed the Angels' comeback victory in the 11th inning, taking Twins reliever Emilio Pagan deep. This was Ward's third homer in his last 10 games, and he's hit safely in eight of those contests. The outfielder is up to 16 long balls, 43 RBI, 52 runs scored, three stolen bases and a .268/.357/.461 slash line through 381 plate appearances this year.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Slugs three-run blast
Rotowire
Ward went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and two walks in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Athletics.
Ward has quietly rebounded to consistency to begin August after ending July cold, going 9-for-35 (.257) through nine contests this month. He's hit safely in seven straight games. The outfielder is up to a .274/.365/.465 slash line with 15 homers, 41 RBI, 51 runs scored and three stolen bases through 367 plate appearances.
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Angels' Taylor Ward: Gets rare day off
Rotowire
Ward is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Ward's streak of 39 consecutive starts will come to an end while he takes a seat for the first time since being activated from the injured list June 14. With 13 home runs and a .273 average to go with three stolen bases on the season, Ward has still been a major source of profit for anyone that scooped him off the waiver wire, but he's batting just .220 with three long balls since coming off the IL.
