Grayson Rodriguez's injury shouldn't overshadow Angels Opening Day roster resolution

The Los Angeles Angels have set their starting rotation to begin the season and have placed Grayson Rodriguez on the IL. While it is easy to focus on the Rodriguez injury, it should not overshadow the great job done in spring training by Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson.

Obviously, the Rodriguez news is unfortunate. He is dealing with dead arm, which is not a great sign so early on, especially after he struggled with injuries when he was on the Baltimore Orioles. His injury definitely makes the offseason look even worse for the Halos, but LA has to move forward.

Angels have to focus on the positives after Grayson Rodriguez injury

Kochanowicz came into spring training this year knowing it would be something of a make-or-break for him. He had a really brutal 2025 campaign, pitching to a 6.81 ERA in 23 starts. Perhaps the most alarming part of his first two MLB seasons was the dearth of strikeout numbers. He had only 25 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched in 2024 and only had 72 K's in 111 innings last season.

During spring training, he looked a lot better. In 13 and 2/3 innings pitched, the 25-year-old had a 1.98 ERA and struck out 11 batters while walking four. He doesn't have to be absolutely dominant with his strikeout numbers, but preventing opponents from putting the ball in play does really help.

His command is going to be everything for him, so if he can hit his spots, then there is a very good chance that he will be effective and can translate what he did well from Arizona to the regular season.

As for Johnson, he too impressed this spring. The 23-year-old only made 14 appearances last season for the Angels, all in relief, and had a gnarly 7.36 ERA, but in spring training, he had a 3.78 ERA in five appearances as the Angels stretched him out a bit and let him throw 16 and 2/3 innings. He was superb in his final start, which may have earned him the nod.

His strikeout numbers were good as he punched out 18 batters in the Cactus League. He put up great strikeout totals in college and in the minors last season. It is pretty remarkable that he is now in a big league rotation after leapfrogging both Double-A and Triple-A, so there has to be concern about how consistent he will be.

Obviously, the hope is that Rodriguez will be back soon and Johnson can either be demoted or moved to the bullpen. Still, there is reason for optimism even if the Rodriguez news is a bummer.