Angels on the right Grayson Rodriguez may start the season on the injured list. The manager Kurt Suzuki told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, that Rodriguez had a “dead arm” and would be demoted. With Opening Day now a week away, that puts Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list to start the season, depending on how things play out in the coming days.
At this point, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. Rodriguez isn’t shut out, with Fletcher noting that he’s still throwing today, but that’s about it. Injuries have plagued Rodriguez in recent years. He made 43 Orioles appearances in 2023 and the first half of the 2024 season. He has not officially started since July 2024, mainly due to shoulder problems.
He underwent elbow surgery in August last year. He was traded to the Angels earlier this offseason in a one-out trade. Taylor Ward. After that deal, Rodriguez talked about his life and seemed optimistic. He said that he has been dealing with the problem of bone stiffness in his elbow for three or four years. He believes this adds pressure to his shoulder and causes many of his problems with that part of his arm.
For Rodriguez to now deal with arm problems is no longer a good fit. Maybe it will always be a small matter but the Angels are not without many flaws. They entered the camp in turns that were supposed to include them José Soriano, Yusei Kikuchi, Reid Detmers, Alec Manoah and Rodriguez. Soriano and Kikuchi are good but the team hesitates after that.
Detmers had a 3.96 ERA in relief last year but a 6.70 ERA as a starter last year. He has a 7.27 ERA in spring training so far. Like Rodriguez, Manoah is looking to bounce back from a long injury layoff, but he has a 9.39 ERA this spring.
If Manowa is selected or Rodriguez needs to spend some time in the IL, that could open up a spot Jack Kochanowicz. He’s having a good spring but posted a 6.81 ERA in the big leagues last year. Fletcher suggested that yesterday Ryan Johnson you have a chance to earn a spot, get the nod on Opening Day as well. The Angels gave him a spot in their bullpen to start last season even though he had yet to play a game as a professional player. He posted a 7.36 ERA in early May, at which point he was optioned down to High-A.
It’s worth repeating that there is no indication that Rodriguez is in any kind of serious trouble. He may avoid IL if he feels better in the coming days. Even if he hits the shelf, Opening Day IL stints can be pushed back three days, so he could return in less than two weeks.
But the Angels will enter a season where they hope to compete but need a lot of things to go right for that to happen. They went 72-90 last year and didn’t make any drastic moves to improve the roster this winter. Playoff Odds on FanGraphs gives them a 4.9% chance of cracking the postseason. PECOTA’s ranking in Baseball Prospectus is even worse, giving the Halos a 0.1% chance.
A minor setback for the club’s fourth starter wouldn’t always be a cause for concern but it looms larger for the Angels than for other clubs as any setback would diminish those young prospects.
Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images
