The Los Angeles Angels’ starting rotation felt finally like a strength going into the 2023 season. It had taken a while to get here, but the rotation had a very successful 2022 season and appeared to be on track to improve even further in 2023.

The Angels’ rotation ERA of 3.67 placed them sixth in all of baseball. Only the Dodgers, Astros, Rays, Yankees, and Mets, five postseason teams that included the World Series champions, were ranked ahead of them. This season has been a whole different narrative. With a 4.58 ERA, the Angels rotation ranks 19th in the majors. It has dropped from the top-six in the league to a bottom-half rotation in just one year, and it’s nearly a run higher.

Even though Tyler Anderson has been pitching well recently, the acquisition hasn’t made a difference in that area. The failure of young arms to develop, though, is a worse letdown. When healthy, Jose Suarez deteriorated significantly, and even Shohei Ohtani, who isn’t really young anymore, had a difficult year on the mound. Patrick Sandoval has also declined. Reid Detmers, who had yet another unpleasant experience on Friday night in Houston, is the main offender in this.

Reid Detmers must be sent down by the LA Angels after his most recent pitching failure.

Reid Detmers had a lot of potential going into the season. He made a lot of progress toward being a front-line starter last year. Obviously, the no-hitter he pitched against the Rays was the catalyst. Although that was excellent, it was his performance in the second half that really enthused the Angels fan base.

For the remainder of the second half, the team was out of the playoff picture, but Reid Detmers at least provided supporters a reason to watch when he pitched. Being only 23 years old at the time, the southpaw threw incredibly effectively down the stretch, and there appeared to be a lot to look forward to.

Detmers’ 3.36 ERA in 11 starts during the second half was significantly lower than his 4.11 ERA in 14 appearances during the first half. The no-hitter was included in that 4.11 ERA. Detmers changed from being horribly erratic to being consistently good. Although he had a higher WHIP, he had struck out more hitters in the second half and had only given up two home runs as opposed to the 11 he had given up in the first.

Fans of the Angels had faith after the second half that he would fit well in the midst of the rotation and be dependable every sixth day. Unfortunately, Detmers has had a terrible year, with the exception of one strong period. Detmers’ ERA in 21 starts is 5.27 after he pitched 2.2 innings and gave up seven runs. Due to five home runs, he has given up 14 runs in his last 6.2 innings of work.

Griffin Canning is anticipated to return to the Angels soon, so they would already need to change their rotation. At this point, Chase Silseth is pitching too good to be replaced, so Canning should just swap out Detmers.

The southpaw was temporarily sent down by the Angels last season, and he performed admirably. He made one start while down in Salt Lake, struck out 14 batters in a standout six innings, and then made his way back up the following week. After being promoted from the minors, he made 13 starts and had an ERA of 3.04.

Although Detmers has promise, it’s obvious that he still has to mature more. In addition to being the wisest course of action for the organization, sending him down might also enable Detmers to improve on a few things and develop into the pitcher that we all anticipate him to be.