Johnny Cueto Returns to MLB, Starting For Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals

The Los Angeles Angels signed Johnny Cueto to a minor league contract in July, and now they are calling the 17-year veteran up to make his first MLB start of 2024.

Jul 22, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at loanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto, the club announced Wednesday afternoon.

Cueto, 38, began the season on a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. He eventually opted out of the deal on July 2, though, electing to re-enter free agency.

Los Angeles took a flier on Cueto later that month, inking him to another minor league contract. After he made four solid starts with Triple-A Salt Lake, the Angels decided to promote Cueto to the majors.

Cueto will make his season debut against one of his former teams, the Kansas City Royals, on Wednesday night.

To make room for Cueto on the active roster, Los Angeles optioned right-handed pitcher Hans Crouse to Triple-A Salt Lake. The team also released right-handed pitcher José Cisnero to free up a spot on the 40-man roster.

#Angels transactions:

•Selected the contract of RHP Johnny Cueto

•Following last night's game, RHP Hans Crouse was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake

•Released RHP José Cisnero

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) August 21, 2024

Cueto made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds back in 2008, finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2012 and finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 2014. The Reds traded Cueto to the Royals in 2015, and he helped them win the World Series that same fall.

From there, Cueto inked a six-year, $130 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. He was named an All-Star and finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting in 2016, but it didn't take long for injuries to take their toll on Cueto's career.

Cueto suffered from blisters and a forearm injury in 2017, then missed the vast majority of the 2018 and 2019 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery. COVID-19 and multiple elbow strains limited his workload in 2020 and 2021 as well.

At the conclusion of his contract with the Giants, Cueto latched on with the Chicago White Sox and enjoyed a moderate bounce back season in 2022. He went 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA, 1.225 WHIP and a 3.5 WAR. Things didn't go quite as smoothly in 2023, when Cueto went 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA, 1.261 WHIP and a -0.1 WAR across 13 appearances for the Miami Marlins.

Cueto is just 30-36 with a 4.25 ERA, 1.316 WHIP and a 7.7 WAR over his last seven MLB seasons. Over his previous seven big league campaigns, Cueto was 82-53 with a 2.73 ERA, 1.084 WHIP and a 26.2 WAR.

In the four starts Cueto made with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate leading up to his promotion, he went 3-0 with a 3.09 ERA. He was 2-1 with a 5.71 ERA across the nine starts he made in the Rangers' farm system earlier in the season.

Cueto's start on Wednesday will be the 364th of his MLB career, which will be the fifth-most by an active pitcher. He also ranks the fifth in wins, seventh in WAR and ninth in strikeouts among active players.

Justin Verlander is the only active player who made their big league debut before Cueto's on April 3, 2008.

First pitch for Wednesday's showdown between the Angels and Royals at Kauffman Stadium is set to get underway at 8:10 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.