Kikuchi (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for 3-to-4 weeks, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
The fact that the 34-year-old southpaw doesn't seem to need surgery makes it more likely that he returns before the end of the season, but it could still be a while before he appears on a big-league mound. The Angels plan to build Kikuchi up as a starter once he's cleared to begin a throwing program, and they may have a better picture of his return timeline once he progresses to that point.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Could be out several months
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Kikuchi (shoulder) could be sidelined for "several months, if not the whole season," Mike DiGiovanna of the "Halo Territory" podcast reports.
Kikuchi was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with left shoulder inflammation, but his MRI is still being evaluated, and DiGiovanna is hearing the southpaw may be tending to a long-term injury. The Angels should offer more clarity on Kikuchi's timetable later this week. Sam Aldegheri was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake and will start Tuesday against the White Sox in Kikuchi's place.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Out with shoulder inflammation
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The Angels placed Kikuchi on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to left shoulder inflammation.
The left-hander departed his most recent start Wednesday against the White Sox due to shoulder tightness, and he'll spend at least the next couple weeks on the shelf due to the injury. According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, Kikuchi's MRI is still being evaluated, so it's possible his diagnosis is updated in the near future. It's been a rough start to the season even prior to the injury, with the 34-year-old carrying a 5.81 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB over 31 innings.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Exits start with shoulder injury
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Kikuchi was lifted from his start Wednesday against the White Sox prior to the bottom of the third inning due to left shoulder tightness. He struck out a batter and allowed two hits and one walk over two scoreless frames before departing.
After noticing a minor velocity dip in the second inning, Kikuchi came back out for the third but didn't throw a pitch. He appeared to experience some discomfort while warming up, and then checked out of the game after a brief visit with a trainer. Mitch Farris entered the game in place of Kikuchi and will likely be tasked with covering multiple frames out of the bullpen. The Angels will likely send Kikuchi in for further testing to glean more information regarding the extent of the injury.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: ERA swells to 6.21 in loss Friday
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Kikuchi (0-3) took the loss Friday against the Royals, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts across five innings.
It's been a struggle for Kikuchi early on this season, as he's allowed at least four earned runs in four of his last five starts and has gone six innings just once in six tries to begin the campaign. The left-hander is still winless but has at least been able to generate strikeouts with a 32:13 K:BB across 29 innings. He's also allowed just three home runs after serving up 24 last season. Kikuchi's 3.72 FIP suggests he's pitched better than his 6.21 ERA would suggest.
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Padres' Jake Cronenworth: Taking seat Sunday
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Cronenworth is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Cronenworth was able to play the entirety of Saturday's 4-1 win after taking a Yusei Kikuchi fastball to the chin in the fifth inning, and though he reported no issues following the game, the Padres will elect to hold him out of the starting nine for the series finale in Anaheim. Fernando Tatis will receive his third start of the season at second base while Cronenworth rests up Sunday.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Brilliant in no-decision
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Kikuchi took a no-decision Saturday against the Padres, allowing no runs on four hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out eight.
It was easily a season-best performance by the southpaw, who worked his longest outing of the year, turned in his first scoreless start and tied a season high with eight punchouts. Despite Saturday's strong showing, Kikuchi still has a rough 5.63 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 27:11 K:BB over his first 24 innings. His next start tentatively lines up to come against the Royals, who have a poor .605 OPS versus left-handed pitching thus far in 2026.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Posts uneven start Tuesday
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Kikuchi (0-2) took the loss against Atlanta on Tuesday, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over five innings.
Kikuchi was handed a two-run lead in the first inning, but he couldn't hang onto it. Atlanta tagged the right-hander for a run in the second, but it was the fourth inning that really did him in, as Kikuchi gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in that frame. The outing wasn't entirely disastrous for Kikuchi -- he managed to rack up 15 whiffs and a season-high eight punchouts -- but he's now 0-2 with a poor 6.75 ERA through three starts. He'll try to turn things around in his next outing, though he's in line for a tough matchup in New York against the Yankees.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Crumbles in third inning Wednesday
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Kikuchi (0-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out five.
Although Kikuchi managed to keep the ball in the yard, the four free passes he piled up came back to haunt him a bit. Two of which came in the third inning, when the Cubs strung together five hits and tagged the left-hander for each of his five runs allowed. Kikuchi's next start is scheduled for next week at home against Atlanta, and he'll be aiming to get back on track after yielding seven runs across his first 9.2 innings of 2026.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Settles for no-decision Friday
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Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-2 win over the Astros, giving up two runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.1 innings. He struck out three.
The Angels grabbed a 4-1 lead in the top of the second inning and never trailed the rest of the way, but Kikuchi couldn't last long enough to qualify for the win, getting lifted after 86 pitches (53 strikes) after Yordan Alvarez led off the Houston half of the fifth with a solo homer, following by a one-out Jose Altuve single. Kikuchi has become a reliable innings-eater over the last few years, making at least 32 starts in each of the last three seasons split between the Blue Jays, Astros and Halos with a 3.97 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9, so better days should be ahead for the left-hander. Kikuchi is set to make his next start on the road next week against the Cubs.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Starting Game 2 with no limitations
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Kikuchi is slated to start the Angels' second game of the regular season -- which will take place Friday, March 27 in Houston -- and is expected to be "full-go" for that outing, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Kikuchi spent much of his time this spring with Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, but he had a small workload, tossing just four innings across two appearances and giving up three runs on seven hits with a 5:0 K:BB. The southpaw recently returned to the Angels and started against the Royals on Thursday, tossing 4.2 innings during which he allowed one run on two hits and three walks while fanning two batters. Kikuchi worked up to just 64 pitches in the start, but even with Opening Day just a week away, it sounds like the club feels that Kikuchi will be able to handle a full workload right away.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: No limitations in camp
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Kikuchi (forearm) faced live hitters Wednesday in his first throwing session of spring training, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Kikuchi exited his final start of 2025 on Sept. 24 due to what the Angels called a left forearm cramp. The veteran southpaw looks to have had a normal offseason and appears to be ahead of most of the rest of the pitching staff, as Kikuchi is set to leave the team in the coming days to join Team Japan ahead of the World Baseball Classic. Per Bollinger, first-year manager Kurt Suzuki said Tuesday that Kikuchi is one of three pitchers locked into rotation spots, and the 34-year-old could get the nod for Opening Day versus the Astros.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Decent in no-decision
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Kikuchi allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Brewers on Thursday.
Kikuchi has walked at least three batters in four of his last seven starts. He's at least gotten the rest of his work under control, allowing just three runs over his last 11.2 innings, but his winless stretch reached seven games Thursday. For the season, Kikuchi has a 4.05 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 168:73 K:BB through 173.1 innings. The southpaw is tentatively projected for his last start of the season at home against the Royals next week.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Rebounds with quality start
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Kikuchi allowed one run on four hits and a walk while striking out three over six innings in a no-decision Friday versus the Mariners.
Kikuchi did his part, throwing 63 of 98 pitches for strikes in a quality start. He had allowed 18 runs over 11.2 innings across his previous three appearances, so this was a strong bounce-back effort, though the veteran southpaw has been quite shaky throughout the second half. Overall, he has a 4.08 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 166:70 K:BB through 167.2 innings over 31 starts. Kikuchi's next outing is tentatively projected to be at Milwaukee, which is a matchup fantasy managers may want to avoid.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Gives up season-high six runs
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Kikuchi (6-9) took the loss Tuesday against the Rangers, allowing six runs on four hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out three.
Kikuchi has been quite dependable overall for the Angels and fantasy managers in 2025, but he conceded more than four runs for the first time this year Tuesday. The Japanese left-hander has also struggled with consistency since the beginning of July, posting a 5.18 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 57:20 K:BB over his last 57.1 innings. Kikuchi will try to regain his footing next week against the division-rival Astros, who have a weak .667 OPS versus left-handed pitching since the All-Star break.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Impressive in no-decision
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Kikuchi allowed one run on seven hits and no walks while striking out four batters over seven innings in a no-decision against Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Kikuchi's efficiency was particularly notable Wednesday; he needed just 88 pitches to complete seven frames, throwing 58 strikes and issuing zero walks. That's a dramatic improvement after he had walked multiple batters seven times in his previous nine outings and had completed six innings just once during that span. Kikuchi didn't miss many bats with only six whiffs and four punchouts, but the tradeoff of being able to go deep into the contest is something that the Angels almost certainly prefer. Kikuchi lowered his season ERA to 3.42 with the strong outing, and he's next lined up to face the Rangers on the road.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Plenty of support in sixth win
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Kikuchi (6-7) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-4 victory over the Tigers, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out seven.
The southpaw wasn't at his sharpest, but he generated 30 called or swinging strikes on his 102 pitches (64 total strikes) and got backed by three homers from the Angels. Kikuchi has completed six innings only once since the beginning of July, compiling a 4.68 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 47:14 K:BB through 42.1 innings over that stretch. He'll try to tighten things up in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the A's.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Notches win, quality start
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Kikuchi (5-7) earned the win over Tampa Bay on Monday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over six innings.
Kikuchi gave up a run in the first inning but kept the Rays from scoring over the remainder of his six frames. The southpaw surrendered just one extra-base hit (a double) and racked up 11 whiffs en route to seven punchouts. While Kikuchi's 5-7 record isn't impressive, he's quietly put together a solid first season in Los Angeles. The team's lone All-Star owns a 3.22 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 139:56 K:BB over 134 frames spanning 24 starts. His numbers could be even better if not for a .317 BABIP against him, which ranks seventh-highest among qualified starters.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Lasts 4.2 frames in loss
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Kikuchi (4-7) was charged with the loss Thursday versus the Mariners after allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks across 4.2 innings. He struck out four.
The left-hander kept Seattle off the board and had a 1-0 lead through four innings, but Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena went deep in the fifth to flip the script. It was just the second time this season, and first since April 26, that Kikuchi failed to last at least five frames. The 34-year-old has a 3.23 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 127:54 K:BB over 122.2 innings this season and lines up to make his next start at home versus the Rangers next week.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Pulled after comebacker
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Kikuchi (4-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 10-5 victory over the Diamondbacks, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.
The southpaw served up a pair of solo shots to Eugenio Suarez but otherwise was in control until the sixth inning, when a 105 mph Josh Naylor comebacker with two outs struck him on the left shoulder. He stayed in the game for one more batter, but after a Randal Grichuk RBI single made it a 6-3 game, interim manager Ray Montgomery elected to lift the Angels' lone All-Star representative as a precaution, leaving him one out shy of his ninth quality start. There's been no word yet that he sustained any kind of lingering injury, and Kikuchi heads into the break with a 3.11 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 115:49 K:BB through 113 innings.
