Víctor Mederos can save the Angels' season, not just survive on major league roster

When the Angels sent Jack Kochanowicz down to the minor leagues (the second time), it was clear they were going to find a long-term solution. The one-start-long stint Kochanowicz had in Salt Lake did not magically solve his issues, and the Halos instead opted to bring up Víctor Mederos to fill in as the fifth starter.

And while his first start was a bag of mixed results, Mederos showed he can do more than enough to help this Angels team continue their winning ways and potentially save their 2025 season following their sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Similar to their calling up of Bryce Teodosio, the Angels are making smart moves by giving minor league players chances in the big leagues rather than finding stray veterans to fill in. Taking a chance on younger guys who could factor into future plans while helping now kills two birds with one stone. Mederos is another example of this working out.

Mederos threw four innings against the Dodgers in his first start. And while one bad pitch to Dalton Rushing that resulted in a home run mucked up his stat line, Mederos was overall solid against the most expensive roster in baseball. And, despite that, he did not allow more than four runs which was becoming the norm for a Kochanowicz start.

Víctor Mederos can save the Angels' season, not just survive on major league roster

The next start Mederos will make will likely be against the Cincinnati Reds. As he continues to stretch out as a starter, he will continue to learn the role and how to attack hitters. Doing so against a Reds' offense that ranks around the middle of the league in most offensive stats should be a much easier task than against the Dodgers. The hope is that Mederos can get through five innings and hopefully avoid giving up too many walks. While home runs and hits happen, the biggest key for Mederos to last in the rotation is to keep batters from getting free bags.

The most important thing to remember is that Mederos does not have to be an ace. The Angels have Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano (hopefully) for that. Mederos just has to be better than Kochanowicz. As long as he competes and gives the Angels' sluggers a chance each time he takes the mound, Mederos can be an incredible player for the 2025 Angels. Similar to Teodosio, he does not have to be the best player on the diamond. He just has to stick to his strengths and give 100%. If he can do that, Mederos will not only become a fan favorite similar to Teodosio, he will help this 2025 Angels team climb back to .500 and potentially even into the playoffs.

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