Grayson Rodriguez Set to Make Angels Debut

In his first outing, in an ACL game, Rodriguez threw five innings. He allowed one run on five hits while striking out seven on 73 pitches.

His latest rehab appearance with Single-A California looked even sharper. Rodriguez threw 4.2 innings while allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out 11 batters and threw 94 pitches.

Despite only making two rehab appearances, the Angels believe they have seen enough. With his pitch count stretched out, Rodriguez will now make his debut in the highly anticipated Freeway Series.

The Angels' acquisition of Rodriguez surprised many around baseball given how highly regarded he was as a prospect just a few years ago. In 2022, Rodriguez ranked as the top pitching prospect in baseball and the sixth overall prospect by MLB Pipeline.

However, injuries have derailed the 26-year-old's career.

Over the past two seasons, Rodriguez has dealt with shoulder inflammation, a teres major strain, and elbow inflammation. He also underwent elbow surgery to remove bone spurs, causing him to miss all of 2025.

In fact, Rodriguez has not started a major league game since July 2024.

Still, Rodriguez is only 26 years old and remains under team control through the 2029 season. The talent is clearly there if he can stay healthy. Several pitchers have overcome early career injuries and still developed into stars. Zack Wheeler is one example.

The Angels have lacked a true ace for years. That absence has played a major role in the franchise's playoff drought dating back to 2014.

Now, the Halos hope Rodriguez can finally help change that. The Freeway Series begins tonight at 6:38 p.m. PT with Jack Kochanowicz on the mound.