Angels News Today: Key Prospects, Lineup Changes, and What is Next for 2026

The 2026 season is in full swing and the Angels organization is searching for a consistent offense and help on multiple fronts. Manager Kurt Suzuki has made several lineup adjustments in the last week plus and some prospects are starting to shine.

Here is a recap of all things Angels at this moment.

Nolan Schanuel is now hitting 6th in the lineup.

After a failed experiment of placing Schanuel behind Mike Trout in the lineup, Suzuki finally moved Nolan down this week. No longer facing the pressure to drive in Trout, the lefty first baseman is now slotted between multiple righties lower in the order.

He responded with 2 hits including the game winning 3 RBI double against Toronto on Wednesday before registering an 0 for 4 last night.

Oswald Peraza is crushing left handed pitching.

The 2026 Angels roster is more versatile than in years past. This allows Suzuki to play match up and so far a platoon at third base is getting great results. By sitting the switch hitting Yoan Moncada against left handed pitchers, he is able to insert Oswald Peraza who is getting great results.

Oswald Peraza has been hitting the ball hard since Spring Training and has a great slash line of .286/.359/.514 through 79 plate appearances. His line against southpaws is an even more impressive .357/.379/.750 with 3 of his 4 home runs coming against them in only 30 plate appearances.

Vaughn Grissom is showing promise.

Vaughn Grissom is a right handed hitting infielder and he takes over for the lefty Adam Frazier to face left handed pitching. 21 of his 32 plate appearances have come with the platoon advantage although his numbers are better when facing righties.

Overall, Grissom is slashing .292/.419/.375 with three times as many walks (6) as strikeouts. For an Angels team that often struggles with K's, his contact oriented approach is a nice boost to the lineup.

Walbert Urena is the new fifth starter.

Very few players helped themselves more during the Cactus League than Walbert Urena, a promising young arm that seemed to be a bit away from a roster spot. Urena arrived throwing 100 MPH sinkers and just kept staying in camp as wave after wave of players was sent to minor league assignments.

When Ryan Johnson went down with an illness a roster spot opened and Urena got the nod. After an impressive debut at home against the Padres, he will get his second MLB start tonight in Kansas City.

Lucas Ramirez and Nelson Rada are the best bats in the system.

After a standout performance in the World Baseball Classic, Ramirez has kept a hot bat for A ball Rancho Cucamonga. The lefty outfielder is spraying the ball to all fields and racking up extra base hits. He is only 20 and can use more development, but at this rate he will be promoted some time this summer.

I'm not sure what Nelson Rada needs to do to get promoted at this time. He is getting on base for AAA Salt Lake City at a whopping 41.5% rate. Add that to excellent center field defense and great base running and he is truly on the verge of making his MLB debut.

When you combine Rada's skillset with Josh Lowe's struggles on all sides of the ball, that swap is a roster move the Angels need to make right now.

Tyler Bremner is justifying his draft position.

Drafted second overall by the Angels in the 2025 draft, Bremner has hit High A like a thunder bolt. In his last start he struck out 10 batters in 5 innings. In three professional starts he has 20 K's in only 11.2 innings while sporting a nifty 0.77 ERA.

Bremner is being developed, not rushed, which is a great sign from the Angels organization. Still, it has been years since the Angels had a pitcher of his caliber on the farm. Bremner is the top name to watch in the Angels organzation and give Angels fans a legitimate reason to dream of a brighter future.

What is next for 2026?

First off the Angels bullpen should get some much needed help in the form of Kirby Yates. It might be another week or so, but with Yates already throwing twice in minor league games in the last 4 days he is obviously getting close.

Other injured Angels who are on the way Ben Joyce and Grayson Rodriguez. Joyce is throwing to live hitters and will begin a rehabilitation stint soon. Rodriguez is a bit behind Joyce. Mid May is a reasonable projection for Joyce but there is no timeframe yet on Rodriguez.

Stabilizing the bullpen will be huge for an Angels club that is fighting to stay around .500. At some point, Rada should join the club as well.

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