Angels. Roster Moves, Drew Pomeranz, Ryan Johnson, Kirby Yates, Alek Manoah
Mar 30, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Johnson pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field.
Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images The ever revolving door in the Angels bullpen keeps on spinning as yet another Perry Minasian off season acquisition flames out. Signed off an impressive bounce back season with the Cubs but with a lengthy medical history, Drew Pomeranz has disappointed on the mound and is now headed to the injured list.over the last couple of weeks. Opening Day closer Jordan Romano was released on April 28th.
Not all today, butand made his season debut Friday night in Toronto. Yates entered camp as the likely backup closer to the injured Ben Joyce who has yet to pitch at the MLB level in 2026. Jose Fermin is a promising young fireballer who began the year in AAA where he appeared in 9 games. In 7 appearances and 7.2 innings for the Angels Fermin has struck out 8 batters and walked 3.
Control has been a problem with Fermin in the past but his arsenal should improve under the tutelage of Mike Maddux. Alek Manoah was brought in to be the fifth starter for the Angels then had a brutal Cactus League run. His velocity, spin, command, and control were all horrible and he opened the season on the injured list. Those problems were blamed on a fingernail that fell off on the middle finger of his pitching hand.
Manoah's struggles really created the Angels pitching churn to open the season and led to Ryan Johnson making the Opening Day roster as a starter. Now, Johnson will join Manoah in the Angels bullpen while upstart Walbert Urena sticks in the rotation. Urena opened the year in the Angels bullpen, so essentially him and Johnson have traded places.
May 5, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn throws against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The unit looks and is performing much better now than it did a few weeks earlier. If you exclude position player Adam Frazier's 4 runs allowed in Toronto, the actual bullpen pitchers only allowed 3 runs in that series.
All were charged to mop up reliver Mitch FarrisWith Sam Bachman finally realizing his potential and Ryan Zeferjahn finding success with a new pitch mix, the Angels bullpen is suddenly holding its own. The real problems lie on offense now. Apr 13, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jordan Romano reacts after giving up a two run home run to New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images Forced to sign multiple relievers due to his failure to draft good bullpen arms, Minasian emphasized relievers with closing experience who were cheap. And so far he is getting an expected return on his investment. Jordan Romano was a bad gamble from the beginning and never should have been a closer.
However, injuries and a general lack of depth forced him into the role. Yates may ultimately provide value for the Angels but he has been injured which can not be a surprise given his age. And ERA of 7.20 followed by an elbow injury is just brutal. When your team needs a couple of miracles, though, you take signings that could turn out to be sneaky good but you can not be surprised when they fail.
Brent Suter is by far the best of the Perry Minasian off season signings. His 4.50 ERA though 24 innings is more solid than spectacular but he is generally pitching near expectations.
Meanwhile Jordan Romano, Nick Sandlin, Shaun Anderson, and Joey Luchessi are all off the roster after being shelled. That is a lot of misses and is a big reason the Angels are in the cellar. Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendationsI'm a lifelong Angels fan who majored in journalism at CSU, Bakersfield and has previously covered the team at Halos Heaven and Crashing the Pearly Gates.
Life gets no better than a day at the ballpark with family and friends.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UW Roster Review: Huskies Gather No MossInjured Kennesaw State transfer missed nearly all of spring football.
Read more »
Angels Trade Rumors: Ranking LA’s Most Valuable Trade ChipsAngels, Angels Trades, Jose Soriano, Mike Trout, Zach Neto
Read more »
Bills Latest Roster Moves Suggest Strong Faith in Tyler BassThe Buffalo Bills made a couple of roster moves on Tuesday, one that shows they have full faith in kicker Tyler Bass.
Read more »
Swedish national team announces 2026 FIFA World Cup rosterSweden is back in the World Cup for the 13th time and announced its 2026 roster featuring Premier League standouts Isak and Gyokeres.
Read more »