Who will be the Halos’ 6th starter?

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Spring Training has arrived for the Angels and one new development is that the sixth starter spot could be more of a swing role this season, in an effort to get two-way star Shohei Ohtani more starts.

The Angels plan on starting Ohtani every sixth day as much as possible, which means they’ll often have to shuffle their rotation to make it work. Ohtani has also had more success pitching every six days compared to when he has a longer break. Last year, he had a 1.61 ERA in 12 starts with five days of rest, compared to a 2.89 ERA in 16 starts when he had six days of rest or more.

Because of that, the sixth starter is likely to make appearances when needed and otherwise give the bullpen another arm in long relief. The Angels are open to the role evolving as the season goes along, but right now they sound comfortable with a five-man rotation of Ohtani and lefties Tyler Anderson, Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers and José Suarez, plus a sixth starter in a swing role.

With that in mind, here’s a look at a few internal candidates who are in the running for that sixth spot.

RHP Jaime Barría
Barría mostly served as the club’s long reliever last season, and he fared well in that role with a 2.61 ERA in 79 1/3 innings. The righty has plenty of experience as a starter, though, and he would adapt easily to a swing role.

With that said, the Angels could decide to simply keep him in the bullpen in long relief and go with another pitcher as their sixth starter.

LHP Tucker Davidson
Davidson was acquired in a Deadline deal that sent closer Raisel Iglesias to Atlanta, but he mostly struggled with the Angels, posting a 6.87 ERA in eight starts.

Davidson went to Driveline this offseason to work on his mechanics and increasing his velocity. The early returns have been promising, but he’ll have to prove it this spring. Davidson is also out of Minor League options, which means he has to make the Opening Day roster or he'll be exposed to waivers. That could come into play, as the Angels might not to want risk losing the pitcher to another team.

RHP Griffin Canning
Canning missed the entire 2022 season with a back injury, but he said he’s fully healthy and without restrictions this spring. He's had success as a starter in the Majors in the past, which makes him an intriguing option as the sixth starter. But the Angels could decide to have Canning start the season at Triple-A Salt Lake so that he can ease into a more normal schedule to continue to build up his arm strength before getting called back up to the Majors.

RHP Chris Rodriguez
Like Canning, Rodriguez missed the 2022 season, as he dealt with a right shoulder injury that required surgery. He isn’t quite at 100 percent, but he's throwing bullpen sessions without any issues. Rodriguez is expected to be eased into action this spring, but the Angels still see him as a starting pitcher. He has electric stuff, so the main goal is to keep him healthy this season. The righty could start at Triple-A Salt Lake to get back on track before joining the Angels.

RHP Chase Silseth
Silseth was the first player from the 2021 Draft to reach the Majors, although he struggled a bit in his first taste of the big leagues, posting a 6.59 ERA in seven starts. But he dominated at Double-A Rocket City with a 2.28 ERA in 15 starts, emerging as one of the club’s top pitching prospects. Silseth could put himself in the mix with a strong spring, though he is still considered more likely to open the year in the Minors.