The Angels are getting one of their injured starters back from the injured list today, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes that left-hander Yusei Kikuchi will come off the 60-day IL to start today’s game against the Rangers. The team’s 40-man roster is full, so they’ll need to clear a spot on the active roster and 40-man roster to make room for Kikuchi.
The 35-year-old Kikuchi joined the Halos on a three-year, $63MM guarantee heading into the 2025 season. He made good on that deal at first, tossing 178 1/3 innings with a 3.99 ERA last year and leading Angels starters with 174 strikeouts. FanGraphs valued him at 2.5 wins above replacement in 2025, bringing his total to 8.7 fWAR in a quietly solid three-season run over 2023-25. The strikeouts were closer to average than in prior seasons, but nonetheless, all signs pointed toward Kikuchi being a solid veteran presence in an otherwise underwhelming Angels rotation going forward.
A lengthy injury absence has kept Kikuchi from repeating that performance in 2026. The lefty only lasted two innings against the White Sox on April 29th and was working with lower velocity than usual. The Angels placed him on the 15-day IL a few days later with left shoulder inflammation, and they shut him down from throwing for 3-4 weeks shortly afterwards. Kikuchi managed to avoid surgery and was transferred to the 60-day IL later that month to clear roster space.
Prior to the IL stint, Kikuchi made seven starts with a 5.81 ERA in 31 innings. That’s an ugly number on the surface, though it was partly due to bad luck. Opposing hitters were batting .352 on balls in play off Kikuchi, well above the league average mark of .289 and the lefty’s career .308 BABIP. The .352 figure surely would have come down over time, and indeed, Kikuchi’s 23.2% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate, and 95.4 mph four-seam velocity suggested he was more or less the same pitcher as in 2025.
There will surely be some rust after a nearly four-month absence, but the Angels are glad to have a healthy Kikuchi in the rotation regardless of immediate results. Halos starters are middle-of-the-pack by fWAR in 2026, and their 4.31 ERA ranks 17th in the Majors. Reid Detmers is having a breakout season, and the same was true for José Soriano before he went to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline. Walbert Ureña is a solid mid-rotation arm. Grayson Rodriguez, Jack Kochanowicz, and Ryan Johnson have all struggled to ERAs of 5.00 or higher. Rodriguez has missed significant time with right shoulder and lower back inflammation. Kochanowicz is out until mid-2027 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June.
If Kikuchi improves on his 5.81 ERA, he could slot in as the No. 2 starter behind Detmers. He is under contract through 2027 on a $21MM salary, so he’ll feature as a veteran presence in next year’s rotation as well. As noted by Fletcher, George Klassen was next up in the rotation, but he’ll throw a bullpen session today while Kikuchi draws the start.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
