Reid Detmers' recent hot streak in minors could give him another shot with LA Angels

There may be hope for Reid Detmers after all.

The 25-year-old left-hander experienced a tumultuous 2024 campaign at the MLB level with the Angels, that saw him optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. Detmers allowed 26 earned runs in May across 24 2/3 innings, making it inevitable for him to get sent down. He had one start in June, surrendering five more runs in 3 2/3 frames against the Mariners as the final blow.

After striking out 168 batters last season with the Angels, and posting a 3.77 ERA in 2022 behind firing a no-hitter, you'd think that Los Angeles would have brought Detmers back to the bigs by now. He's proven himself on the grandest stage, but the Halos just cannot seem to move past his rocky efforts in 2024.

Detmers has been stuck in Triple-A for almost three months now, and although that may seem suboptimal for the former first-round pick, he's been dialing it up with the Bees recently.

In his last three starts, Detmers has been nothing short of dominant on the hill. He's twirled 21 combined innings in those three outings, fanning 29 batters alongside three runs allowed. He definitely struggled a bit prior to this breakout, giving up six runs in each of his previous two starts, but his off-speed appears to be in its sharpest form once again.

The Louisville product has 101 strikeouts in 78 Triple-A innings, backed by a 6-6 record, which has not been enough for Los Angeles to bring him back just yet. The Angels have called up a number of players over the past several days, including Johnny Cueto, Ryan Zeferjahn, Ryan Miller and Caden Dana.

Detmers' name has yet to be called by the Angels, but as the pitching injuries pile up in Anaheim, he could potentially be a September promotion. The 6-foot-2 lefty has a 6.14 ERA with the Angels this year in a dozen starts. Can Detmers return to 2022-23 form? The Angels are nowhere near playoff contention, so bringing him back now to try and work off the rust could be beneficial as the Halos look to 2025.