ANAHEIM — Grayson Rodriguez took his rehab to a new level on Monday.
Rodriguez faced hitters for the first time since he was slowed down during spring training, throwing around 30 pitches in a workout meant to approximate two innings.
“It’s a big step,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously, when you’re out an extended period of time not seeing hitters, it’s disappointing. But finally getting hitters back in the box and getting that adrenaline going feels really nice.”
The next step is expected to be increasing the workload while facing Angels’ hitters again. He’ll eventually need to begin a minor league rehab assignment, and build up his pitch count to the 85-100 range that a starter needs.
Rodriguez, 26, was initially slowed late in spring training because of what the Angels called dead arm, and they later described it as shoulder inflammation when he went on the injured list. Rodriguez has continued throwing the whole time he’s been sidelined, though.
He said all of that work might actually pay dividends when he starts pitching again.
“The stuff is there,” Rodriguez said. “I’m really happy with where that’s at. I had really good stuff in spring training, but the command was the issue there. But having these down weeks and having some bullpens to work on some stuff, I think the command is a lot better than what it was during spring.”
Rodriguez threw 12⅔ innings in spring training, with 12 strikeouts and 10 walks.
The Angels are likely moving conservatively with Rodriguez because he hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2024. Also, they can still control Rodriguez for three years beyond this one, so there’s still plenty of value to get from him even with a gradual buildup this season.
“We’re really excited now that he’s working his way back,” Manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I was watching his bullpens leading up to this and you could see him progressively start climbing. To go against hitters, I think the juices were flowing. We’ll see how he feels.”
SCHANUEL UPDATE
Nolan Schanuel remains in the No. 3 spot in the lineup – at least against right-handed pitchers – even though he’s been in a slump for most of the first few weeks of the season. The Angels are facing left-handed starters on Tuesday and Wednesday, so Schanuel could be dropped in the lineup or even benched.
“I think he just needs to stay with the process, stay with his approach, stay with his work that he’s doing,” Suzuki said. “He’d be the first one to tell you he should be better, but at the same time, I understand the ebbs and flows of the game. He’s settling in, he’ll have a couple good games as well and then have a couple tough ones. But you look at the pitching that we’re facing, it’s tough. I know Shanny’s right there. He’s getting closer. His work’s been really good, so I’m not really worried about him.”
Schanuel came into Monday’s game hitting .222 with a .304 on-base percentage and a .625 OPS, which are all down from last year’s marks of .264, .353 and .742.
Some of the underlying numbers, however, are the same. His 14% strikeout rate is just barely worse than last year’s 13%, and his 11% walk rate is the same.
His 30% hard-hit rate and 87 mph average exit velocity are both almost identical to last year. The biggest issue is that he’s hitting the ball on the ground more this year.
NOTES
Right-handed reliever Kirby Yates (knee inflammation) is set to continue go on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake, starting on Tuesday. Yates pitched once for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and decided he needed a couple more outings. Suzuki said they “trust” Yates that he will know when he’s ready to get major league hitters out. Yates has said that he came back too quickly from a hamstring injury last year with the Dodgers, and it ruined his season. …
Mike Trout got to 30 feet per second trying to beat out a ground ball in Sunday’s game against the Padres, the first time he reached that sprint speed in a regular-season game since before he hurt his knee in April 2024. Trout reached 30 once during spring training this year, also.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays (LHP Patrick Corbin, 0-0, 4.66 ERA) at Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 2-0, 3.47 ERA), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network, 830 AM