Yusei Kikuchi shut down from throwing in hopes to avoid surgery

I guess we'll know more when he starts throwing again, how it's doing, or anything like that. Right now, the plan is to build him back up and no surgery, and get going.”

Kikuchi was the lone All-Star representative from the Angels in 2025, but things haven’t shaken out his way this year.

In seven starts this season, the soon-to-be 35-year-old has a 5.81 ERA in seven starts and opponents are hitting .282 against him.

One of the substantial differences from last year to this year is his pitch mix.

This year, Kikuchi is throwing his fastball nearly double the amount of times as his slider. He’s thrown his fastball 33% of the time and slider 19.2% time.

Last year, he threw the slider 36.2% of the time and the fastball 34.9% of the time.

Opponents hit .310 against his fastball and .254 against his slider in 2025, and are hitting .349 off the fastball and .333 off the slider this year.

Another massive difference for him this year is his arm angle.

Kikuchi lowered his arm angle from 42 degrees to 36 after being traded to the Houston Astros at the 2024 trade deadline, because he began to throw his slider far more often. He kept that same arm angle with the Angels in 2025, but has raised it all the way to 49 degrees this season, which is the second-highest mark in his career, only behind the 2020 season of 50 degrees.

A study from January 2025 found that lower arm angles can reduce stress on the elbow and shoulder. Whether or not the higher arm slot is the culprit for Kikuchi is unknown, as arm injuries have unfortunately become part of the routine for pitchers in today’s game.

In the absence of the Angels’ highest-paid pitcher, the Angels called up pitching prospect left-hander Sam Aldegheri to start on Tuesday, and it is unclear what the plan is moving forward with Kikuchi’s start day.

Right-handers Caden Dana and George Klassen are both options on the Angels’ 40-man roster who are in Triple-A Salt Lake. Dana has prior MLB experience in brief stints and Klassen made two starts this season with the Angels, although they weren’t very good. Klassen is pitching well in Triple-A Salt Lake, though, with a 4.19 ERA in four starts.