It's time for the Angels to call up top prospect to fix the starting rotation woes

The Angels are sputtering on every front right now. The offense that looked so potent early in the season has gone cold. The bullpen, which has been relying on a lot of youth and inexperience, has struggled to hold leads and pass the baton to closer Kenley Jansen. The starting rotation across the board is falling short of hitting its critical goals.

Perhaps the easiest way to right the ship would be to fix the starting rotation. If the bats are going to remain quiet, run prevention is key. Furthermore, if the Angels can get length out of their starters, they'll be able to bypass the lower-tier relievers that have been in a state of constant flux, and perhaps get more leads to the back-end duo of Ryan Zeferjahn and Kenley Jansen, both of whom have been extremely effective this season.

Fortunately, the Halos have top prospect Caden Dana toiling away at Triple-A Salt Lake, who might be able to provide the shot in the arm the Angels' rotation desperately needs. It might be time to call him up for real this time.

Calling up top prospect Caden Dana may help solve the Angels' starting rotation woes

Caden Dana's spring training was something of a rollercoaster ride for the Angels. There was some good, like his three perfect innings against the Chicago Cubs, but there was also a lot of bad. The 21-year-old finished the spring with 9.53 K/9 as well as 9.53 BB/9 and a 15.88 ERA in just 5.2 innings of work.

An inconsistent release point may have been the culprit, but even that poor spring performance doesn't negate his talent and status as a consensus top-100 prospect. So far this season, it appears that those issues from the spring are behind him.

Dana has made four starts and logged 19.2 innings for Triple-A Salt Lake so far this season, posting a glowing 2.29 along the way. His command seems to have returned, as he's walking just 3.20 batters per 9 and striking out 11.90 per nine, one of the best marks in his minor league career.

Most importantly, he's kept the ball in the yard allowing just 0.92 HR/9 which is quite a feat in the extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. This season has been Dana's first taste of Triple-A action, on so far he's been acing the test.

Dana's lone big league appearance came as an innings eater earlier this season to help a burnt-out bullpen that was without rookie Ryan Johnson, who welcomed a child into the world and was out on the paternity list.

With the Angels' rotation ranking 25th in the majors in ERA with a 4.59 mark, 29th in K/9, and 28th in BB/9, it's been clear that more is needed. Yusei Kikuchi has not been the ace that was promised, Jose Soriano has been plagued by inconsistency, Jack Kochanowicz still can't strike anyone out, and Kyle Hendricks might be toast.

Only Tyler Anderson has been somewhat reliable, though his 2.60 ERA is misleading as the soft-tossing lefty also owns a 5.20 FIP. The time to call up Dana is now, and while he won't solve all five spots, maybe his promotion could ignite a shakeup that knocks the rotation back on track.

If nothing else, getting him some big league experience in a season that is focused on developing the young core would certainly be a prudent move.

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