Pitchers & Catchers Report: Previewing the Angels’ Rotation and Bullpen Battles
February 11, 2025 - Written by Bryan Whitfield
Day 2 of posting every day until Opening Day.
— D1toDynasty (@D1toDynasty) February 10, 2026
Stop ignoring Reid Detmers at his current ADP of mid 300s
Returning to the Angels rotation for 2026, the former 1st rounder is easily one of my favorite breakout candidates this year. After finding his confidence in a relief role,… pic.twitter.com/M0Tum1v6Rp
Spring Training is officially underway as pitchers and catchers reported today. Let’s take a look at the Angels depth chart for the starting rotation, bullpen, and catching position, along with some of the battles we could see for each role.
Catchers
As it currently stands, the Angels will not have much of a competition at the catching position. Logan O’Hoppe and Travis d’Arnaud enter camp with the starting and backup roles essentially locked in.
O’Hoppe, who turned 26 on Monday, comes into Spring Training hoping to bounce back. With new voices on the coaching staff, he will be looking to arrive with a full reset. He also has strong mentors around him. Former catcher Kurt Suzuki is now the manager, and former battery mate Max Stassi is the new catching coach. He will once again work alongside Travis d’Arnaud as well, giving him another veteran presence. With this group around him, the hope is that O’Hoppe’s defense can take a step forward in 2026.
d’Arnaud, 37, enters camp with the backup catcher role secured. He will continue serving as a veteran mentor to O’Hoppe while also aiming to improve offensively after hitting .197/.255/.343 (.598 OPS) with 6 home runs and 21 RBIs last season.
New hitting coach Brady Anderson will look to get both O’Hoppe and d’Arnaud back on track offensively in 2026.
The Angels will also have Juan Flores, Omar Martinez, Marlon Quintero, and Sebastián Rivero in camp as non roster invitees. They will primarily help handle the pitching workload during Spring Training. Rivero is the only catcher among the four with major league experience and would likely serve as the third catcher if one of the two rostered catchers were injured.
Starting Rotation
New Angels manager Kurt Suzuki spoke to the media on Tuesday and provided some insight into the starting rotation heading into Spring Training. Suzuki stated that right hander José Soriano and left handers Yusei Kikuchi and Reid Detmers are currently locks for the rotation. Both Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah will need to prove they are healthy in order to earn their respective spots.
Per Kurt Suzuki, via Rhett Bollinger, “They’ve got to come out here and earn it. They have to prove to us that they're ready to go and can do the job. Open competition is great, and I feel like it brings guys together.”
This leaves two spots theoretically up for grabs, although Grayson Rodriguez will likely end up securing one of them if healthy.
The Angels have plenty of pitchers competing for a rotation spot, including Sam Aldegheri, Caden Dana, Mitch Farris, Ryan Johnson, Jack Kochanowicz, and Victor Mederos, all of whom are on the 40 man roster.
They also have several non roster invitees who could turn heads. Angels top prospect and 2025 first round pick Tyler Bremner highlights the group. It is difficult to envision him going straight from college to the major league roster, though the Angels did something similar with Ryan Johnson last year. Johnson made the team out of the bullpen after Spring Training despite not throwing a single pitch in the minors, and he was later sent down and used as a starter.
Could we see something similar with Bremner? It is unlikely the organization would skip his development entirely, but there is a fair chance he makes his debut at some point in 2026.
Other names to watch among the non roster invitees include Shaun Anderson, Chris Cortez, George Klassen, Joel Hurtado, and Huascar Ynoa. Klassen is especially interesting as he is the Angels’ No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America.
Bullpen
The Angels bullpen appears to have two, possibly three, spots up for grabs.
As it stands, Robert Stephenson, Drew Pomeranz, Kirby Yates, and Brent Suter look like the clearest locks. Jordan Romano is also very likely a lock after signing a one year deal this offseason, though a lackluster spring could at least complicate things.
Ryan Zeferjahn, José Fermín, and Chase Silseth are currently among the favorites to claim spots. Silseth enters camp without minor league options, meaning he must make the Opening Day roster or be traded or designated for assignment. It is difficult to envision the Angels letting him go, as he would almost certainly be claimed on waivers.
Several starters could also move into relief roles if they do not make the rotation, including Huascar Ynoa, Shaun Anderson, and Alek Manoah.
Walbert Urena, Jayvien Sandridge, Sam Bachman, as well as Victor Mederos, are on the 40 man roster and could have an advantage in the competition for Opening Day spots.
Other non roster invitees competing for bullpen roles include Chris Cortez, Jose Gonzalez, Austin Gordon, Samy Natera Jr., and 2025 draftees Chase Shores and Nate Snead.
Veteran invitees Nick Sandlin, Tayler Saucedo, Kaleb Ort, Angel Perdomo, as well as Hunter Strickland and Miguel Castro, both of whom the Angels have not made their signings official yet will also be in the mix. Players like Sandlin, Saucedo, Strickland, and Castro may have an edge due to their major league experience and past success.
Camp has opened, opportunities are everywhere, and players across the roster now have a chance to define their season. Baseball is back, and the road to Opening Day has officially begun.
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