The long-awaited debut for the Los Angeles Angels’ biggest offseason addition, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, finally came on Sunday afternoon. After missing the first couple of months of the season due to right shoulder inflammation, Rodriguez was activated from the injured list before Sunday’s game.
The Angels landed the 26-year-old back in November from the Baltimore Orioles in a straight swap for outfielder Taylor Ward. Rodriguez made some starts in spring for the Halos, but he struggled as he returned to the mound for the first time since the 2024 season.
Rodriguez missed all of the 2025 campaign after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his throwing elbow, which first became an issue in March of 2025. Still, the Angels trusted the righty enough to send away one of the best and moved loved bats away in exchange for Rodriguez.
It wouldn’t be an easy task, as Rodriguez’s first start would come against the back-to-back reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. He got out of the first inning smoothly despite giving up a leadoff hit to Shohei Ohtani, but things started to slide in the bottom of the second.
The bases ended up loaded with just one out after a Kyle Tucker single and walks to Max Muncy and Dalton Rushing. After a sacrifice fly and single, the Dodgers ended the frame up 2-0.
The fourth inning brought even more runs across the plate for the Dodgers as Rodriguez allowed six baserunners before being pulled before the third out. Rodriguez had two outs in three batters, but allowed three consecutive singles before a walk and one final single, taking the lead to 6-0 before reliever Jose Fermin got the call to replace the struggling righty.
Fermin allowed one more hit, scoring yet another run for the Dodgers, bringing Rodríguez’s earned runs tally to seven in his Angels debut.
Rodriguez finished the day with seven hits, four walks, seven runs allowed, and four strikeouts in 3 ⅔ innings. The Angels were never able to catch up, losing 10-1.
It certainly wasn't to start for the Angels’ biggest offseason acquisition, especially after missing a chunk of the start of the season due to injury, which has always been the biggest concern for Rodriguez.
It’s only made worse when looking at how Ward has been performing for the Orioles. His home runs haven’t carried over from last season, but he leads the American League with 14 doubles and leads all of baseball with 43 walks. With his .269/.424/.375 slashline with a 131 OPS+, Ward has been essential for Baltimore.
The Angels could have certainly used his offensive production at the plate this season with their lack of depth in the outfield. Meanwhile, it looks as if Rodriguez still has a way to go before getting back to his pre-elbow-injury form – if he can get there again.
For now, Rodriguez’s first start in an Angels’ uniform wasn’t pretty, and the Angels have now lost eight of their last nine games. With the worst winning percentage in baseball, Angels fans will be hoping they can get more from Rodriguez in the future.
