Chase Silseth loses any hope at Angels Opening Day roster spot after brutal start

The battle for the Los Angeles Angels sixth starter spot has been a fierce one. Jaime Barria despite a rough spring has the best track record. Tucker Davidson has an awful track record but has pitched well and is out of options. Griffin Canning has been the best of the bunch but got a later start and didn't pitch at all last season due to injury. Chase Silseth was the fourth and final candidate for this spot.

Silseth despite being drafted in 2021 debuted last season and made seven starts. It's an incredible jump made by a guy drafted in the 11th round. While he looked good in the minors, Silseth did not have the same fortune in the majors.

Despite his inexperience, Silseth I felt was a legitimate candidate for the sixth starter spot entering Spring Training just because of how unsure I was about the other candidates. After an awful start yesterday I'd say Silseth's chances at an Opening Day roster spot went from slim to none.

Chase Silseth loses any hope at the sixth starter spot after latest bad start

Silseth entered the day with some pretty solid Spring Training numbers. He had allowed three runs in 10 innings pitched this spring with some good strikeout numbers as well.

Silseth's chances at the sixth starter spot were minimal due to pitchers like Davidson and Canning outperforming him, but Silseth's latest outing will be the final nail in the coffin for an Opening Day spot.

The young right-hander allowed eight runs on eight hits in 3.1 innings pitched. He walked just one which is a good sign, and struck out three. He went through the first two innings without a baserunner, and then allowed a single run on two hits in the third. The fourth is when things fell apart.

Six hits including a home run and a walk while recording just one out ruined Silseth's day. The Angels were unable to do anything against Nick Lodolo and the Reds bullpen and lost the game 10-0.

While I believe Silseth has lost any hope at an Opening Day spot, I expect him to contribute to the 2023 Angels. As much as we don't want to hear it, there will likely be a pitching injury at some point. If he pitches well in AAA he could easily be the first man up. If the sixth starter struggles, he can also come up to replace that person.

There's a lot to like about Silseth and I think he's looked better than he did last season with the Angels. This one was rough.