MADISON, Ala. — A year after suffering a season-ending injury with the Rocket City Trash Pandas, Trey Cabbage has worked his way to the top. On Friday, the Los Angeles Angels promoted Cabbage from Triple-A Salt Lake. He is expected to make his MLB debut this weekend at Angel Stadium when the Angels host the Houston Astros.
“He’s certainly been through a lot. It’s awesome to see him get rewarded for the work he put in and the adversity he’s been able to overcome,” said Trash Pandas Manager Andy Schatzley, Cabbage’s manager in 2022. “It’s an impressive season for anybody, and even more impressive for him given the way his season ended a year ago and what he’s had to do to get back to where he is today.”
Cabbage will become the 23rd former Rocket City player to make his MLB debut (22nd for the Angels) and the sixth to do so in 2023 after José Soriano, Ben Joyce, Sam Bachman, Zach Neto, Kolton Ingram, and Victor Mederos.
Cabbage began the 2022 season with the Trash Pandas and quickly became a fan favorite, hitting .327 with 10 home runs, 32 RBI, 10 stolen bases, and 21 runs scored in 30 games. He was leading the Southern League in home runs and RBI through the first month of the season. Cabbage was named Southern League Player of the Month for April 2022 and took home Player of the Week honors on May 1.
On May 6, 2022, Cabbage delivered his most memorable moment with the Trash Pandas, a walk-off grand slam to send Toyota Field into a frenzy with a 6-2 win over Chattanooga. Earlier in the season, he became the first left-handed hitter in the Statcast era to hit a ball over 120 miles per hour with a single at Birmingham.
But on May 13, 2022 at Pensacola, Cabbage suffered a broken arm after a collision on the field at Blue Wahoos Stadium, ending his season. With a grueling rehab stint behind him, Cabbage returned to the field in 2023 and picked up right where he left off for Triple-A Salt Lake.
In 81 games for the Bees, Cabbage hit .287 with 23 home runs, 64 RBI, 58 runs scored, 16 doubles, and 24 stolen bases. His 23 home runs are currently tied for the most in all of Minor League Baseball while 64 RBI lead the Bees and are tied for fourth in the Pacific Coast League. His 181 total bases lead the league, and 42 extra-base hits rank second.
In June, he became the second player in Salt Lake Bees history to join the 20-20 club, hitting 20 home runs and stealing 20 bases in the season. On April 18 vs. Reno, Cabbage hit a 487-foot home run, the third longest home run in all of baseball tracked by Statcast this season.
Cabbage, 26, was originally selected by the Minnesota Twins in the fourth round of the 2015 draft out of Grainger High School in Rutledge, Tennessee. The Angels signed Cabbage as a Minor League free agent on November 28, 2021.
