Angels call up 11 players to boost pitching staff, bench

Reporting from Houston —  Veteran catcher John Buck, speedy outfielder Tony Campana and utility player Shawn O’Malley were among 11 players the Angels added to their big-league roster for Tuesday night’s game against the Houston Astros in Minute Maid Park.

The team also boosted its pitching staff by adding right-handers Cory Rasmus, Vinnie Pestano and Cam Bedrosian and left-hander Wade LeBlanc, and added to its bench first basemen Efren Navarro and C.J. Cron, outfielder Brennan Boesch and third baseman Luis Jimenez.

All were called up from triple-A Salt Lake one day after teams were allowed to expand their rosters to as many as 40 players.

Buck will give Manager Mike Scioscia the option of giving hot-hitting catcher Chris Iannetta an occasional start at designated hitter, and Campana, among the fastest players in the organization, will be used as a pinch-running specialist, much like Chone Figgins was during the team’s 2002 run to the World Series title.

Campana, acquired from Arizona in the Joe Thatcher trade, hit .277 with 17 stolen bases in 28 attempts in 100 triple-A games for the Angels and Diamondbacks. O’Malley hit .326 with three homers and 38 runs batted in in 89 games at Salt Lake, and Buck hit .294 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 33 games at Salt Lake.

They are the only players called up Tuesday who have not spent time in the major leagues with the Angels this season.

If there was one or two surprises, it was that outfielder J.B. Shuck, who spent all of 2013 with the Angels and hit .320 with a .382 on-base percentage in 102 games at Salt Lake this season, and veteran left-hander Randy Wolf, who went 6-2 with a 4.65 earned-run average in 13 triple-A starts, were not added to the roster.

Shuck and reliever Michael Kohn were designated for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.