Grayson Rodriguez Injury: Starting mound work in January

Angels general manager Perry Minasian said Wednesday that Rodriguez (elbow) will begin throwing bullpen sessions in January and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training, Taylor Blake Ward of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Acquired from the Orioles on Tuesday in exchange for Taylor Ward, Rodriguez missed all of the 2025 campaign due to multiple arm issues and eventually underwent a right elbow debridement to remove a bone spur in August. He had been slated to begin a throwing program in October and will progress to mound work in January. Staying healthy has been difficult for Rodriguez, but he's flashed big upside when on the bump and will carry a career 4.11 ERA and 259:78 K:BB over 238.2 regular-season frames into the 2026 season. Rodriguez is sure to have some kind of workload restrictions with his new club in 2026 following a lost season.