Rodriguez still honing fastball command as Cactus League rolls on

TEMPE, Ariz. -- After giving up seven runs in eight innings over his first three starts, Grayson Rodriguez should have been all smiles Friday after blanking the Guardians for 4 2/3 innings.

Rodriguez -- who is competing for a spot in the Angels’ rotation -- wasn’t despondent over his outing, but the right-hander was certainly critical of his performance, which saw him allow two hits and four walks while striking out five.

“The walks are still a killer,” said Rodriguez, who has now walked 10 batters in 12 2/3 innings this spring. “We threw a lot of unnecessary pitches. … Right now, that’s the work that’s going to be going on from here until the season starts, making sure we can get that fastball command down.”

Command can often be the last thing to return after a long injury layoff, something Rodriguez knows far too much about. He hasn’t pitched in a big league game since July 31, 2024, beset by lat injuries in 2024 and 2025, then undergoing surgery last August to remove bone chips from his right elbow. The Angels acquired him from the Orioles this winter for outfielder Taylor Ward.

“Missing last year, going down a little early in ’24, right now I’m just focusing on health and throwing strikes,” Rodriguez said. “That’s kind of how I’m looking at it right now. Obviously I want to be throwing a lot better than what I am, but it’s a change of getting back into the swing of throwing every five or six days, feeling what it’s like to be on that rotation again. Each start is going to be a little bit better, so all I can do is put my head down and get to work.”

Rodriguez’s 7.88 ERA through three starts wasn’t encouraging, nor was the fact that he had walked almost as many batters (six) as he had struck out (seven). But manager Kurt Suzuki hasn’t focused on Rodriguez’s numbers as much as his improvement on the mound, something the manager has seen each time the 26-year-old has taken the ball.

“Consistency, sharpness of pitches and stuff; especially for Grayson, he didn't pitch much last year at all, so kind of seeing him work his way and get better and better,” Suzuki said. “There are some consistency things he needs to tighten up, but at the same time, the stuff is there. It's just honing that in.”

Prior to Friday’s start, Suzuki specifically cited Rodriguez’s velocity as a positive, and although the fastball command wasn’t as sharp as they would have liked, the four-seamer topped out at 96.5 mph. Three of the final five pitches Rodriguez threw in his 85-pitch outing reached 95 mph, though only 49 of his pitches went for strikes.

“At times, I can get a little wild with it,” Rodriguez said. “Guys aren’t going to go up there swinging the bat if they don’t think you’re going to throw a strike. I had a couple fastballs get away from me there, so just being able to get out in front and drive it to the glove.”

On a positive note, Rodriguez -- a 2018 first-round Draft pick who MLB Pipeline tabbed as the baseball’s No. 1 pitching prospect in 2021 and 2022 -- felt his curveball and slider “are probably the best they’ve ever been.” Though interestingly enough, the two inning-ending double plays he got Friday both came on fastballs.

“One thing that I can pull from a start like today is that in-game adjustments have been big,” Rodriguez said. “That’s an important part of starting pitching. I didn’t have my best stuff today, but we tried to grind through it and made it into the fifth. If that’s a regular-season game, I’m going to be fighting Kurt to stay out there.”

Rodriguez is likely to open the season in the rotation, especially after Friday’s outing, which Suzuki called “a pretty solid performance.” With two more exhibition starts left before the season begins, Rodriguez is happy to be healthy and eager to continue fine-tuning his stuff.

“Obviously I wish I had thrown a lot better this spring, but so far I’m healthy; I can’t really ask for much more than that,” Rodriguez said. “I’m looking forward to the season, but we’ve still got some Spring Training time left to craft these pitches and get them refined to where I want them.”