Walbert Urena's latest outing exposed Angels flaw baked into Opening Day roster

It was a quick end to Walbert Ureña's experiment as a relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels. The 22-year-old prospect had two appearances out of the bullpen for the Angels against the Houston Astros to open the season, and then was quickly optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. He returned by way of a spot start for the Halos on Sunday against the San Diego Padres, and may have made the case to stay in the starting rotation.

Ureña was excellent. The Angels' No. 18 prospect struck out eight across six innings of work while giving up two runs on four hits and two walks. For as uncomfortable as he looked to open the season out of the bullpen with the Angels, Ureña looked far more comfortable as a starting pitcher.

There's a specific reason why that may be the case. Speaking with reporters after the game, Ureña revealed that he's never had experience as a reliever before earning a spot in LA's bullpen ahead of Opening Day this season.

“I’d never been a reliever, so that was new for me,” Ureña said. “I tried to get my routine as a reliever, but when I got back to Salt Lake, I started getting starts again. So, I think that's my best thing, starting.”

Angels' Opening Day roster oopsie never made sense

Ureña being part of the Angels' Opening Day roster was a surprise. Sure, he had success during spring training, and while there was stability needed for the pitching staff, halting his development as a starting pitcher never made the most sense. It's even more perplexing with the reveal from Ureña that he'd never been used as a reliever.

All is well that ends well. Ureña is now in the Angels' starting rotation, and there's a case to be made that he should stay there until further notice.

Alek Manoah and Grayson Rodriguez are still just in the "facing live hitters" stage of their respective recoveries and remain a few weeks away from being ready to go on a minor-league rehab assignment. As long as Ureña is finding success in the role that he's familiar with, there's no need to change anything.

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