Angels just got encouraging news from a starter nobody is talking about

The current configuration of the Los Angeles Angels' starting rotation isn't exactly what the club had planned. The injury, not unsurprisingly, hit Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah coming out of camp, with Ryan Johnson joining them soon after due to an illness. As a result, this has created some opportunities.

The Halos' rotation has been better than previous years, owning a 3.83 ERA as of April 20's action, which is good for 12th in the league. The validity of that stat is a bit dubious, however.

Jose Soriano props up the unit big time with a 0.28 ERA, thanks to a ridiculously hot start. Outside of him, Reid Detmers has been okay, nothing more and nothing less, while Yusei Kikuchi's 5.63 ERA leaves much to be desired. Jack Kochanowicz has been decent as a replacement, but the final spot in the rotation has seen Los Angeles cycle through options, hoping to find something that can stick.

With that, former top prospect Caden Dana's return to the mound in Salt Lake after a battle with mono might have been the best possible news the club could've received.

Angels need a rotation solution, and Caden Dana could fit the bill

Once regarded as the Angels' best prospect, Dana has fallen into obscurity. The young right-hander did not respond well to Los Angeles's rapid promotion strategy. Selected in the 11th round in 2022 out of Don Bosco Prep High School in New Jersey, Dana was a September call-up in 2024, despite not throwing a Triple-A pitch.

He made three big league starts and posted a 9.58 ERA, showing that maybe a bit more patience would've been warranted. Even worse, in 2025, the Angels repeatedly called him up to serve as a sacrificial lamb out of the bullpen. The baffling handling of a once-prized arm left some believing he was irreparably broken as he struggled in the inconsistent role.

With all that said, Dana is just 22 years old. A normal team would be planning for his major league debut, and not looking at a youngster who has already "graduated" from prospect status.

His first start at Salt Lake was encouraging after a lengthy battle to build his strength back up after his illness. Dana went six innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs, while issuing zero walks and striking out seven. It was a glimpse of the past when he was a promising, high-strikeout arm before the Angels' shenanigans took hold.

Fellow youngster George Klassen made two disastrous starts, succumbing to a finger injury in his second big league outing. Sam Aldegheri has strangely been used out of the bullpen in his brief major league stint, after serving as a starter for Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic. No. 18 prospect Walbert Urena is back up, this time serving as a starter.

The aforementioned trio doesn't provide a ton of hope to provide the stability the Angels need, meaning Dana might be the club's best option. He'll need a couple of more outings at Salt Lake to build up, but by that point, he could be ready for a call and prove to be a real solution.

Or, in the best-case scenario, Dana and the rest of these young arms end up proving viable and begin to allow the Angels to phase out the underperforming veterans. Should that happen, Los Angeles might finally have a promising, young starting rotation. Though given the organization's dismal track record of developing pitching talent, we shouldn't count on that. For now, the hope is that Dana might reach his ceiling despite all of the obstacles thrown in his way.

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