The Los Angeles Angels have moved left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the 15-day injured list and brought up reliever Tayler Saucedo from their Triple-A affiliate to fill the roster spot.
The injury designation dates back to April 30, as Kikuchi developed inflammation in his left shoulder during his outing against the Chicago White Sox on April 29. The pitcher completed two innings without allowing any runs but was pulled from the game while warming up for the third inning before facing another hitter.
This season, the 34-year-old pitcher has struggled with an 0-3 record and 5.81 ERA across seven starts. Despite striking out 33 batters in 31 innings of work, Kikuchi has given up 35 hits and issued 14 walks, resulting in a concerning 1.581 WHIP.
The Morioka, Japan native brings a career 48-61 record with a 4.50 ERA spanning more than seven MLB seasons.
Saucedo, who is 32 years old, rejoins the major leagues after pitching for Triple-A Salt Lake in the bullpen. During his time with the Bees, he compiled a 4.30 ERA across 12 outings but allowed 12 hits and 11 walks in 14 2/3 innings pitched.
Throughout five major league seasons with Toronto (2021-22) and Seattle (2023-25), Saucedo holds a 5-2 record with a 4.36 ERA. His entire 148-game major league experience has come as a relief pitcher.
The experienced reliever will aim to strengthen the Angels’ struggling bullpen, which currently ranks 29th league-wide with a 5.53 ERA.
