Angels’ Top Prospect is Demoted, Ending His Season

Manager Ron Washington says 'He's a young baby, he's following our lead'

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels have optioned pitching prospect Caden Dana to the minor leagues prior to the conclusion of the 2024 MLB season. Dana heads back to the minor leagues after making two disastrous starts.

Dana made his most recent start on Sept. 15, and pitched just 3.1 innings before he was removed after allowing five hits, five runs (four earned), and two walks while striking out three. The start prior, Dana pitched only one inning but was removed after giving up seven hits, five earned runs, and three home runs while striking out just one.

Angels manager Ron Washington said the team made the decision to avoid giving Dana more "negative vibes" as the starts did not go his way.

“He had a long year and we don’t want him out there getting negative vibes about his outings when they’re not going the way he wanted them to go." Washington said, via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. “So we just felt like we need to go ahead and take it away from him.”

The Angels optioned Dana to Double-A Rocket City, whose season came to an end Monday.

“He took it like a pro,” Washington said. “He knows what we are doing is in his best interest. He’s a young baby. He’s following our lead. We decided to shut him down, and that was the end of that.”

The two rough starts came after Dana put together a promising MLB debut. During his debut on Sept. 1, Dana pitched six innings and allowed just two hits and two earned runs while striking out four. He became the youngest Angels pitcher in franchise history to win during his debut.

The one area Dana struggled in all three starts was allowing walks. Even in his debut win, Dana walked four. Across his three starts, he walked seven while striking out just eight in comparison.

Dana was called up to the major leagues for the first time this season after starting 23 games for the Trash Pandas in 2024. Dana posted a 9-7 record across those starts, along with a 2.52 ERA and 147 strikeouts. He has yet to pitch in Triple-A.

The 20-year-old former 11th-round pick still has a bright future ahead. Dana ranks as the Angels' No. 1 prospect, and No. 70 overall on MLB.com's top 100 prospects list. With more time to develop, Dana could certainly emerge as a good starter for the Angels in the future.