Angels Signing Kirby Yates Progressing in Rehab Assignment

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Kirby Yates transferred to Triple-A to continue his rehab assignment on Wednesday.

Yates, who the Angels signed to a one-year, $5 million contract over the offseason, suffered a knee injury towards the end of spring training and has spent the season so far working to make his first appearance for the Angels since 2017.

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kirby Yates (38) delivers in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

He made one appearance with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, allowing an unearned run through one inning, and allowed three earned runs in his appearance with Triple-A Salt Lake after moving.

Yates is clearly still ramping up following an injury riddled 2025, and is sure to provide some stability in the bullpen.

He has historically been good in MLB, posting a 3.36 ERA through 472 MLB appearances to date.

The Angels could certainly use some help in the bullpen, so Yates’ near return comes at the perfect time. They have a collective 4.74 ERA in their bullpen, which ranks 22nd in MLB.

Despite their reliever’s woes, the Angels still sit just 1.5 games back of the division lead, and are sure to get a huge boost from a returning veteran. They’ll hope his addition can give them the boost they need to claim first place in an extraordinarily weak division and return to the postseason for the first time in more than a decade.