Surprise inclusion on Angels’ Opening Day roster could be team’s X-factor in 2026

During the course of spring training, the various Opening Day roster projections for the Los Angeles Angels did not feature Walbert Ureña's name very often at all. No one denied that the Angels' 19th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline had real arm talent, but the Angels just had arms without minor league options and/or more experienced pitchers at their disposal. At the end of the day, Ureña had just a single appearance at Triple-A last year.

However, a number of developments have changed the Angels' decision calculus. With Alek Manoah, who is having a rough spring, hurting his own candidacy, and Grayson Rodriguez being hurt (again), the Angels have to shuffle guys around to make do in their bullpen and rotation. Luckily for him, all of this shuffling proved to be to Ureña's advantage as Kurt Suzuki declared that he would make the team out of camp over the weekend.

For now, Ureña is slated to start 2026 in the bullpen, where his triple-digit heat should play very well. However, assuming Ureña can learn to cut down on the walks, he has a real chance to parlay this opportunity into a potential role in the Angels' rotation. If that happens, it could be a move that makes the Angels a whole lot more intriguing this coming season.

Walbert Ureña's elite fastball could make him a prime 2026 breakout candidate IF he can show some command

Anytime a pitcher can hit triple digits as a starter, they are going to attract some attention. Ureña's fastball is one of those pitches that, if he can just harness it, it could lead to a run of pitching dominance that LA seldom sees, given their issues in player development.

However, the reason why Ureña didn't have a lot of buzz around him heading into camp this year is that he gives up walks and a lot of them. In 141 innings last year, mostly in Double-A, Ureña walked 73 batters, and that was an IMPROVEMENT in his previous walk rate. As a starter or a reliever, walking that many guys is just not going to cut it in the majors.

For now, Ureña's inclusion on the Angels' Opening Day roster is little more than a fun surprise to keep an eye on. Given Ureña's history of command issues, LA is going to want to be very careful as to the spots they use him until he shows really strike-throwing improvement. However, Ureña IS a starter by trade normally, and if he gets used in multi-inning stints and performs well, don't be shocked whatsoever if the Angels give him a shot in their beleaguered rotation.