Angels left wondering what Kirby Yates showing means after rough outing

The Los Angeles Angels' bullpen remains a major pain point in 2026. The unit as a whole ranks 22nd in ERA (4.74), 23rd in FIP (4.40), 15th in strikeout rate (22.4%), and 17th in fWAR (0.4).

Hence, excitement has been brewing ever since it was announced that Kirby Yates -- who abandoned the Dodgers to join their crosstown rivals this offseason -- was heading out on a rehab assignment.

Out since the middle of March with knee inflammation, the 39-year-old reliever looked strong in his lone outing in Single-A, prompting the Angels to accelerate his rehab assignment with a trip to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Unfortunately, Yates was disastrous in his first appearance with the Bees, allowing three runs and a homer in just one inning. He didn't walk anyone, but he looked far from the lockdown reliever he was earlier in his career.

Now the Angels must ask the question: Is he simply shaking off rust from his injury, or is this a sign of things to come for someone eyeing their 40th birthday next March?

Angels need Kirby Yates to find the fountain of youth

The data is obviously limited since the sample size is one lone inning, but Yates gave up hard contact on half the balls put in play against him in Triple-A. That's an unsustainable figure, though far from indicative of someone who has long been a great contact manager.

Injuries have certainly played their part. He's tossed all of six innings since spring training started in February, and he missed the Dodgers' postseason run last year due to a hamstring issue. Such is life for a 39-year-old pitcher, but that doesn't mean the Angels were designed to survive without him.

This year's Halos bullpen has been as unreliable as feared, with only Brent Suter's nightly heroics salvaging a group that has been plagued by inconsistency. Even if Sam Bachman and Chase Silseth can keep their own individual ships righted, there doesn't seem to be a plan in place to forge forward with a new hierarchy.

Yates was signed thanks to his ample closing experience (98 career saves), which would look really good right now as Jordan Romano works through a bout of command-related struggles. He can still help this bullpen, but only if he proves healthy enough to pitch in the big leagues again.

On the positive side, it is just one bad rehab outing for someone who still needs to shake off an offseason's worth of rust. Nothing that made Yates a worthwhile addition faded away in that one inning in Salt Lake City.

But for anyone hoping that he'd be the savior this relief corps desperately needs, you may need to exercise a little more patience.

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