Angels claim middle infielder Ronald Torreyes off waivers from Yankees

The Angels claimed middle infielder Ronald Torreyes, who played briefly for the Dodgers last season, off waivers from the New York Yankees on Monday. To make room on the 40-man roster for Torreyes, left-handed reliever Bobby LaFromboise was designated for assignment.

Torreyes, 23, who has made 489 of his 558 minor league starts at second base or shortstop, appeared in eight games with the Dodgers last September and October, collecting two hits in six at-bats.

He has a career minor league average of .298 and an on-base percentage of .353 with 22 home runs, 253 runs batted in, and almost as many walks (150) as strikeouts (160). It’s possible Torreyes could challenge Johnny Giavotella for the second-base job, but he will most likely provide much-needed infield depth.

A native of Venezuela, Torreyes has played for five different organizations in six minor league seasons. He opened 2015 with the Houston Astros’ triple-A team but was sold to the Toronto Blue Jays and then the Dodgers, who traded him to the Yankees earlier this month.

LaFromboise, who was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates in November, had a 2.98 earned-run average in 54 1/3 minor league innings last season. If he clears waivers, LaFromboise will likely be retained by the Angels and sent to triple-A Salt Lake.

Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna