ANAHEIM — The Angels’ starting rotation has been lights-out dominant, but the bullpen has been navigating some choppy high-leverage waters early in 2026. Help is finally on the way, as veteran closer Kirby Yates has cleared a major step in his recovery from left knee inflammation.
On Wednesday, the Angels moved Yates’ rehab assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake. The 39-year-old right-hander is scheduled to pitch Friday night and again Sunday in Las Vegas. This puts the veteran in the final tuning phase of his return. Since joining the Halos, Yates has been the picture of reliability, and he’s expected to give the club that dependable late-inning bridge that’s been missing at times without Ben Joyce.
“Kirby brings that ‘been-there, done-that’ calm you just can’t teach,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “Our young guys have stepped up nicely, but having a pitcher like Kirby who can drop that splitter in any count changes how we handle the seventh and eighth innings.”
The plan calls for back-to-back outings in the minors early next week. If his knee holds up under that workload, Yates should rejoin the big-league club in time for the upcoming series against the Texas Rangers. Sitting just 1.5 games out of first place, the Angels know a healthy Kirby Yates could be exactly the reinforcement needed to turn tight 2-1 wins into more comfortable victories. The bullpen is about to get a whole lot steadier.