right-handed Grayson Rodriguez In an interview with the show “Filthy Territory”, he said that he “Throw and feel good“After having surgery in August to remove a bone spur in his elbow (The Baltimore Standard’s Andy Kostka reported Rodriguez’s comments), the newly minted Angel added that he considered having surgery in spring training but decided against it simply because the discomfort became unbearable.”Things have reached a point that I can’t accept.'”
Rodriguez has battled injuries for much of his career. He missed the entire 2025 campaign with shoulder and lat issues. He missed part of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury. Rodriguez will start just 17 games in 2022 due to a lat strain, which will likely delay his MLB debut by a season.
According to Rodriguez, bone spurs have been an issue for quite some time. “They’ve been there for three or four years. This is something I’ve been dealing with for a while since I got into Double-A, Triple-A“. The right-hander added that the bone spurs appear to be contributing to the recurring lat issues, as the muscle works harder to slow down his arm after each pitch.
Los Angeles is betting Rodriguez will have better health. The Angels traded the outfielder directly for the talented righty Tyler Ward earlier this week. Ward was coming off a career-best 36 home run season. He has been a mainstay for Los Angeles over the past four seasons. Ward will become a free agent after 2026, while Rodriguez will be under team control until 2029. The trade helps free up some money for the Angels, as Ward is expected to make $13.7MM in his final year of arbitration.
Rodriguez said the move caught him off guard, but “pumped“Heading to his new team.”I didn’t expect the Orioles to trade me. But, obviously, the Angels wanted me badly, which is a cool feeling“.
If removing the bone spurs gets Rodriguez back on track from a health standpoint, Los Angeles could have their future ace in their pocket. The 26-year-old is just a few years away from becoming the league’s top pitching prospect. After his first major league appearance, he finished his rookie season with a 2.58 ERA and made 13 consecutive starts. Rodriguez was expected to have a breakout year in 2024, but his season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. The right-hander increased his strikeout rate to 26.5% while lowering his slugging rate by 4%. His xFIP (3.57) and SIERA (3.61) back up his 3.86 ERA.
Rodriguez’s health update in line information Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias relayed the news in September. Rodriguez is expected to participate in spring training in 2026, the executive told reporters.
If the right-hander does suit up for the spring season, it would mark his first game appearance since July 2024. Once Rodriguez gets back on the mound, his velocity will be very important. In his rookie season, his fastball averaged 97.4 mph, but that number dropped to 96.1 mph in 2024. Rodriguez’s arsenal will also be one to watch. He threw six different pitches in 2023, but cut that to four the following season. Rodriguez gave up his cutter and cleanup pitch in 2024, while throwing his curveball a little harder and his slider a little softer.
Rodriguez will be next in line Kikuchi Yusen and Jose Soriano For the angels. While Rodriguez’s health will be the main focus, there are still many questions that need to be answered within the rotation. Reed Detmers After a strong season in the bullpen, it appears he will get another chance to start. Kadendana and Mickey Farris They are both candidates for spots once the rotation ends in 2025, although both had ERAs over 6.00 last year. prospect George Klassen and Samuel Aldeghariacquired from the Phillies Carlos Estevez Trade, too, can be factored into this equation.
Photos by Tommy Gilligan, Imagn Images
