Angels Make Change to Rotation Ahead of Tigers Series

Aug 4, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) pitches during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels made a quick move in their pitching rotation ahead of their series opener against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, switching Yusei Kikuchi and Jack Kochanowicz's dates.

Kikuchi will now pitch Saturday on four days of rest, while Kochanowicz will get six days of rest and take the mound on Sunday.

Yusei Kikuchi is pitching tomorrow and Jack Kochanwicz is pitching on Sunday. The Angels just flipped the two of them. It’ll be a normal 4 days rest for Kikuchi and 6 days for Kochanwicz.

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) August 8, 2025

Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register revealed Kochanowicz's next start was to be determined on Wednesday, and stated the rotation would be shuffled around.

Neither the Angels nor Fletcher have revealed a reason for the switch.

Kikuchi has justified the three-year, $63.7 million contract the Angels signed him to in the offseason, leading the Halos rotation with an impressive 3.22 ERA. He is posting the second lowest home runs per game of his career in 2025, and leads MLB with 24 starts this season. Kikuchi represented the Angels at the All-Star Game in July.

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Kochanowicz has had a much less successful season, showing flashes of the potential the Angels see in him but turning around and struggling shortly after. His most impressive start of the season so far came against the Dodgers in May, where he threw 6.2 innings of one-run baseball, though he allowed four runs in his next four starts.

He has a 5.85 ERA this season, and spent a couple of weeks in Triple-A during the All-Star break after a poor performance against the Texas Rangers where he allowed eight runs. Kochanowicz is in just his second MLB season, so he still has time to improve on his consistency and be a weapon in the Angels' rotation.

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The Halos' playoff hopes have slowly fallen since an inactive trade deadline, and they now sit five games under .500 with just a 0.6 percent change to reach October, per Fangraphs. It seems unlikely the Angels will end the longest playoff drought in MLB this season, though they still have a chance to squeak into the final spot in the WIld Card if they can put a good run together.

They begin their series against the Tigers at 4:10 p.m. PT on Friday, where they will face American League Cy Young award favorite Tarik Skubal away.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.