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Angels still plan to develop Walbert Ureña as a starter

March 28, 2026

HOUSTON — A day after Walbert Ureña made his major league debut in the seventh inning of a one-run game, Perry Minasian was very clear that the Angels still view Ureña as a starter in the long-term.

The path for getting him there is less clear, and one that the Angels’ general manager readily admits could take a variety of routes.

“We take it day-by-day,” Minasian said. “We talk to the player. We use our brains. We use our experience.”

Minasian pointed out that they have a former catcher as a manager (Kurt Suzuki) and a group of veteran pitching coaches, led by Mike Maddux.

“They know what they’re doing,” Minasian said. “I’m not worried about it.”

Ureña, 22, was not expected to make the major league roster out of camp, but his stuff in Arizona was good enough that the Angels determined he was one of their best 13 healthy pitchers. Ureña was stretched out as a starter throughout camp.

“I think we wanted to take the best arms that we could when we broke camp,” Suzuki said on Friday. “We felt like Ureña was one of those guys. And now, in the long term, for sure, he’d probably be a starter, but I think right now he helps us here.”

Suzuki pointed out that left-hander Chris Sale broke into the majors as a reliever and still became a starter.

For now, Ureña’s usage is going to be determined by the game situations. The Angels are still open to stretching him out over three- or four-inning stints if the game allows, in addition to using him the way they did on Thursday. It’s unlikely they’ll use him on back-to-back days, though.

Suzuki also pointed out that Maddux – who is in his 24th consecutive season as a major league pitching coach – is well equipped to direct Ureña’s development.

“Mad Dog’s the freaking expert here,” Suzuki said. “The guy’s so knowledgeable and stuff. We’ll get (Ureña) where we feel like we can keep him successful.”

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The Angels’ infield defense was particularly sharp during their Opening Day shutout victory on Thursday.

Third baseman Yoán Moncada, who had a rough season in the field last year, made six plays without issues. Shortstop Zach Neto also handled a couple of tough ground balls going to his right. He also made a leaping catch of a line drive.

“They’ve been working their butts off,” Suzuki said. “I said to them yesterday, it’s good to see their hard work pay off.”

None of the plays were spectacular, but many of them were just tough enough that they could have caused them the kind of trouble that they had last year.

“Make the plays that major league players should make,” Suzuki said. “Don’t get me wrong. I love mixing in those fantastic highlight reels. I love those too, but if we can just – we talk about it all spring – if we can do the simple stuff really good, and see where we’re at, we’ll take our chances. That was an example of playing good, solid fundamental baseball.”

NOTES

The Angels are still waiting on right-hander Robert Stephenson to make a decision on what type of treatment he wants to undergo. The reliever said last week that an MRI showed potential damage to his UCL. “He saw a doctor,” Minasian said. “We’ll have something soon. He’s got to decide what he wants to do.” …

Right-hander Ben Joyce (shoulder surgery) continues to throw bullpen sessions, but he hasn’t progressed far enough for the Angels to schedule him to face hitters. “He’s doing well,” Minasian said. “He’s chomping at the bit. Sometimes you’ve got to hold guys back from themselves.” …

Right-hander Kirby Yates (left knee inflammation) played catch for a second consecutive day. He said he’s feeling better, but still proceeding cautiously to prevent a setback. …

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (right shoulder inflammation) is still progressing conservatively. He has been playing catch, but he hasn’t thrown off a mound. “He’s not going to throw 200 innings,” Minasian said. “I want him feeling good and built up the right way. If it takes a couple extra weeks, if it takes a month, it doesn’t bother me.” …

Right-hander Hunter Strickland and utilityman Chris Taylor have both returned to the Angels on minor-league deals. They were among the final players under consideration for spots on the Opening Day roster. Each had outs in their deals allowing them to become free agents if they weren’t in the majors. Both were released before ultimately deciding to return to play at Triple-A.

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Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 5-3, 3.96 ERA in 2025) at Astros (RHP Cristian Javier, 2-4, 4.26 ERA in 2025), Saturday, 4:10 p.m. PT, FanDuel Sports Network, 830 AM

Orange County Register

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Angels still plan to develop Walbert Ureña as a starter

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