Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez will begin his rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Sunday.
The Angels acquired Rodriguez in the offseason from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for outfielder Taylor Ward, but things haven’t quite gone to plan for the right-hander so far this season.
Rodriguez began the year on the IL with right shoulder inflammation, and went down once again in the middle of June with lower back inflammation. He threw just 2.1 innings in his most recent start against the Tampa Bay Rays, exiting the game after his back flared up on his second-to-last pitch of the third inning.
The former top prospect made six starts in between his stints on the IL, pitching a total of 25.2 innings. He allowed 23 earned runs across his starts for an 8.06 ERA and struck out 24 batters.
While Rodriguez went on the injured list, neither he nor manager Kurt Suzuki were overly worried about the injury when it happened. Suzuki described the move to the IL as “precautionary.”
“I think it’s just precautionary,” Suzuki said. “We put him on there so he doesn’t rush back and make it worse. Plus, we needed an arm. I don’t think it’s too concerning. I talked to Grayson today. He didn’t seem concerned about it. Obviously, it was bothering him a little bit, and he really felt it on the one pitch.”
May 17, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (21) delivers during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn ImagesWho Will Grayson Rodriguez Replace in the Rotation?
The Angels have several pitchers out with injury, as Yusei Kikuchi and Jack Kochanowicz are both sidelined, so they have plenty of supplementary pieces in their rotation at the moment.
Walbert Urena, Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers will likely remain in MLB, leaving Ryan Johnson and Sam Aldegheri as the players who could return to the minors. Johnson has pitched six times this season to a 8.84 ERA, and has bounced between a few levels in the minors this season. His last start went six innings and he held the Baltimore Orioles to just one hit.
Aldegheri has also bounced around between MLB and the minors this season. He had a 5.47 ERA heading into his start against the Athletics on Sunday, and has struggled since becoming a regular starter June 12.