It is Wednesday evening. The Angels fly to Houston tonight and play the Astros on Thursday afternoon at 1:10 PM Pacific. José Soriano gets the ball — the first Opening Day start of his career. He said he almost cried when Suzuki told him.
Here is where everything stands.
The rotation, entering the season: Soriano (OD), Kikuchi (Game 2), Detmers (Game 3), Kochanowicz (Game 4), Ryan Johnson (Game 5). Grayson Rodriguez, acquired from Baltimore in November and supposed to be the upside arm in this group, is on the injured list with dead arm and no firm timetable. The Angels say it is not serious. It has been not serious before.
The bullpen has Yates as the default closer, Romano and Pomeranz as setup options, and Walbert Urena as a 22-year-old Dominican prospect making his MLB debut at some point this week with a 100 mph sinker. Joyce and Stephenson are both on the IL. Stephenson may miss the full year. His career may be over.
The infield: Neto at short, healthy after a wrist scare. Schanuel at first. Frazier won the second base job with a .432 OBP this spring. Candelario at third — an afterthought in February, four spring home runs, made the team on merit. Grissom is almost certainly going on the IL. Peraza showed something real this spring and fills the utility role.
The outfield: Trout in center, healthy after a hit-by-pitch scare Friday, X-rays negative. Adell in right. Lowe in left, back from his oblique. Soler at DH. Chris Taylor exercised his first opt-out clause and is gone.
The closer situation is unsettled. Suzuki said Yates, Romano and Pomeranz will all get chances. That is not an answer. That is a competition. Three days before Opening Day. The Angels open against a Houston team that went to the World Series two years ago.
The season starts Thursday. Eleven straight years without the playoffs. The youngest arm in the Opening Day rotation is Ryan Johnson, who was pitching at Dallas Baptist University eighteen months ago. The oldest is Kirby Yates, who is 38 and closing games by default.
The gap between those two facts is the Angels' 2026 season in miniature. More to come.