Caden

Dana

Dana missed time earlier this spring due to illness and was never really a threat to break camp in the Angels’ rotation. The 22-year-old pitching prospect will open the minor league season back at Triple-A Salt Lake waiting for his opportunity.

The good news is Dana is feeling better now, and the right-hander will throw a bullpen Tuesday. He’s battling for one of the final spots in the rotation, and because he has options left, there’s a strong chance he’ll open 2026 in Salt Lake barring an outstanding Cactus League run.

Dana figured to be a bigger factor for the Angels this season after debuting last September, but he winds up with a 6.40 ERA in five starts and two relief appearances. He’s just turning 22 in December and he has options left, so he’s hardly running out of time. Still, if the Angels did happen to tire of his lack of progress, he’d be better off pretty much anywhere else.

The 21-year-old hurler punched out five batters on the afternoon while issuing three free passes. The Rockies scratched out a run against him in the second inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kyle Karros. Dana then served up a go-ahead solo homer to Blaine Crim in the fourth inning that did him in. He got 11 whiffs on 89 pitches on the day — five of them on his curveball — while registering a CSW of 25 percent. He’ll tote a 6.39 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and a 28/17 K/BB ratio (25 1/3 innings) into his final start of the season on Saturday against the Astros.

The 21-year-old right-hander struck out four batters on the night while issuing three walks. The Brewers scratched out single runs against him in each of the first three innings then broke the game open with a two-run blast by Christian Yelich in the fourth inning. Dana generated six whiffs on 92 pitches in the ballgame, posting a CSW of 24 percent. He now holds a 7.45 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and a 23/14 K/BB ratio over 19 1/3 innings in five appearances (three starts) with the Halos this season. He’ll try to turn things around when he takes on the Rockies in Colorado on Sunday.

Dana struck out nine, but he allowed five hits, including a pair of homers, and also walked five. His ERA stands at 6.32 through two starts and two relief appearances. He’s still just 21 and very far from hopeless, but since debuting last year, he’s given up nine homers and walked 18 in just 26 innings in the bigs. Unfortunately for him, he’d probably have a better chance of becoming a successful MLB starter in 28 other organizations.

Making just his third appearance of the season and first start since last September, Dana did well to keep the Angels in this game. He didn’t force many swings-and-misses, but also didn’t allow much hard contact. The 21-year-old wasn’t exactly impressive though either. His command was erratic and none of his stuff stood out. His next start would come against the Twins if he sticks in the rotation.

Dana draws the starting assignment for Wednesday’s showdown against the Royals. The 21-year-old top pitching prospect has made five appearances (three starts) in the big leagues over the past two seasons and has been hit pretty hard on the doorstep of the majors at the Triple-A level during that span. He’s an interesting arm, but he’s not close to sustained fantasy relevance at this early stage of his career.

Anderson has been a solid, yet unspectacular innings-eater this season for Los Angeles, posting a serviceable 4.56 ERA across 136 1/3 innings in 26 starts. No word yet on how the Angles will fill his rotation spot, but they have some interesting pitching prospects on the doorstep of the majors including Caden Dana and George Klassen.

Dana was a highly-regarded pitching prospect for Los Angeles in the recent past, so it’s surprising to see him pitching in what amounts to mop-up duty. The 21-year-old righty returns to the minors after a one-day stint with the big-league club.