Bedrosian adds splitter to his repertoire

OAKLAND -- Angels reliever Cam Bedrosian has incorporated a splitter into his pitch mix and is hopeful it’ll be a difference-maker for him this season.

Bedrosian threw one splitter in his seven-pitch appearance in his season debut on Thursday, getting a ground-ball out as part of a perfect inning and is excited to see what the pitch can do for him.

“I threw it in spring and had a little bit of success with it, and now it’s just about seeing what the results are,” Bedrosian said. “I think having an extra pitch is huge. I think instead of it being a coin flip for most guys, now they have to think about that third pitch. And just having that will be a big help in itself.”

Bedrosian had previously been a two-pitch reliever, utilizing his fastball and slider over the past six seasons. He's become more and more reliant on the slider, throwing it 44.5 percent of the time last year, and felt it was time to offer a change of a pace with a splitter. He worked on it throughout the offseason and during Spring Training, and said he’s comfortable throwing it to either lefties or righties.

Angels manager Brad Ausmus believes it can help Bedrosian, who posted a 3.80 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 26 walks in a career-high 64 innings last season.

“If you can add a weapon to your arsenal it certainly helps,” Ausmus said. “A lot of times it’s just getting that consistency throwing that pitch because it’s new. Just trying to throw it in, or near the strike zone, so hitters want to try to take a bite out of it.”

Castillo clears waivers

Right-hander Jesus Castillo, who was designated for assignment to make room for outfielder Brian Goodwin on the 40-man roster, cleared waivers and was assigned to Double-A Mobile. Castillo, ranked as the club's No. 23 prospect per MLB Pipeline, posted a 4.94 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 31 walks in 98 1/3 innings at Double-A last year. Castillo, 23, is expected to remain a starter but there's a chance he could be converted to a reliever down the road.

Pujols gets a day off

The Angels plan to be conservative with Albert Pujols' playing time to keep him healthy this season, and he was held out of the lineup for the first time on Sunday. With the designated-hitter spot open, Ausmus elected to give Mike Trout a day off from center field. Trout, though, doesn’t figure to DH too much as the season goes along, especially once Shohei Ohtani returns from Tommy John surgery in May, which will leave Ohtani, Pujols and first baseman Justin Bour seeing most of the action at DH.

“It’s just a day off,” Ausmus said. “We’re giving Albert a rest day and so it’s a good time to give Trouty a partial rest day.”