The Los Angeles Angels’ Dominican Summer League affiliate released shortstop Jose Santana on October 21, 2026, according to the MiLB transaction log.

The move ends the 18-year-old right-handed hitter’s brief affiliation with the organization after he posted anemic offensive numbers across two seasons in the DSL.

Santana, born April 25, 2008, in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 170 pounds.

The Angels signed him as a free agent to a minor league contract on January 15, 2025, and immediately assigned him to their DSL club.

Reports list his signing bonus at $400,000. He had previously been activated by the Dominican amateur program Royal-East in May 2024.

Offensively, Santana never found a foothold.

In 2025 he appeared in 41 games and went 9-for-87 (.103) with no extra-base hits, 29 walks, 29 strikeouts, three stolen bases, and a .347 on-base percentage.

In 2026, he played 17 games and managed just one hit in 21 at-bats (.048), again with no extra-base hits, seven walks, 12 strikeouts, and two stolen bases for a .310 OBP and .358 OPS.

Across 58 career DSL games and 108 at-bats, he finished with an .093 batting average, zero home runs, 10 RBI, a .340 OBP, and a .433 OPS.

His BABIP sat at an extremely low .147, underscoring severe contact problems despite a patient approach that produced a walk rate near 24 percent.

The release is typical at the DSL level, where organizations evaluate young international signings and clear roster spots for higher-upside prospects.

Santana’s combination of extreme contact difficulty, lack of power (zero extra-base hits in two seasons), and limited defensive sample size made continued development within the Angels’ system unlikely.

At 18, he remains young enough that another organization or an independent league could take a chance, particularly if he can improve his bat-to-ball skills.

The Angels have not issued a public comment on the transaction. Santana is now a free agent.