Angels Right-Hander Feeling Comfortable in New Role as Starting Pitcher

This is a great sign for the young righty.

Angels right-handed pitcher Josè Soriano has surprised himself this spring.

Soriano, who was told he'd be stretched out as a starting pitcher after a successful rookie season out of the bullpen, said he's had no issues in his transition to being a starter.

“I feel comfortable,” Soriano said through an interpreter. “I thought I’d have maybe a little bit of an issue, but I’ve felt comfortable every start.”

Via MLB.com

Feeling comfortable is definitely an important part of the transition, but the numbers haven't exactly followed yet.

Soriano has made two appearances (one start), and has a 10.80 ERA across his five innings of work. On the somewhat brighter side, he does have seven strikeouts to just one walk.

Soriano is coming off a strong 2023 season in which he debuted in early June and never went back down to the minors.

In 38 appearances, Soriano had a solid 3.64 ERA, and struck out an impressive 56 batters across his 42 innings of work.

Soriano is one of the many Angels competing for a spot in the rotation, and he's built up to pitching three innings right now as he did in his last start.

Soriano was a former starting pitcher in the minor leagues, but transitioned to the bullpen after two Tommy John surgeries.

Now, he's working back to being a starter, and has plenty of time to work his way up to five-plus innings over the last few weeks of camp.

Then, depending on performance, he'll either earn a spot in the rotation, or work out of the bullpen to open the 2024 season.