after the 2016 season, the los angeles angels claimed yates from the yankees on waivers. he was designated for assignment on april 2, 2017, after failing to secure a spot in the angels bullpen during spring training, and he was outrighted from the 40-man roster and sent to the triple-a salt lake bees after clearing waivers on april 5. yates made his angels debut as a reliever on april 22 against the toronto blue jays but was designated for assignment the next day.