WEST SACRAMENTO — Angels relief pitcher Ryan Watson was briefly a part of three organizations on the day of the Rule 5 Draft back in December. The Angels are now his fourth club, and he’s serving as a late-inning option down the stretch.
Watson knew his name could be called during the Rule 5 Draft after holding a 4.26 ERA (3.73 FIP) with a 28.1% strikeout rate to go alongside a 7% walk rate in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in 2025.
The right-hander said he heard his name called in the draft as he was leaving the gym, and he was going from the San Francisco Giants organization, where he’d been playing in Triple-A at Sutter Health Park, to the Athletics, who play their major-league games at the same venue. By the time he got home 10 minutes later, he had been traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Watson made his major-league debut with the Red Sox on March 28 in Cincinnati, tossing 2⅓ scoreless innings against the Reds. Over the course of the next four months, he was an effective arm, but not a standout one on a roster headed toward the postseason. Following an appearance in Sacramento against the A’s at the end of July, Watson was placed on waivers in early August, and the Angels claimed him.
One of the biggest changes for him with the Angels has been limiting his sinker usage. In July with the Red Sox, it was his second-most-used pitch at 22.1%. In both August and September it has been his least-used offering.
He’s also upped his sweeper and curveball usage since joining the Angels.
“With Boston, I was already throwing a lot of cutters, a lot of sweepers, so I was already throwing the sweeper a lot,” Watson said ahead of Tuesday’s game against the A’s. “But the curveball I’ve always felt is a real weapon for me that I could use, so we talked about it and started using it a little more.”
Not only are batters hitting just .130 against the curve since he joined the Angels, but it’s been his main offering that limits launch angle off the bat, resulting in more ground balls and limiting the damage against him.
“He’s got a really good ability to throw breaking balls,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said of what’s impressed him most. “He can throw them at any time. He’s just been consistent. Goes out there, throws strikes, and he’s pitching some really high-leverage spots for us. He’s been a great addition.”
Watson is now in the final stretch of his first season in the majors, visiting a stadium where he spent time in 2024 and 2025 – albeit in different circumstances.
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“It’s a little bit different,” Watson said of pitching at Sutter Health Park as a major-leaguer. “Trying to pitch your way up to the big leagues, and now you’re trying to pitch and stay in the big leagues in the same park.”
ANGELS CLINCH BOTTOM-THREE RECORD
With Tuesday night’s loss to the Athletics, the Angels are guaranteed to finish with one of the three worst records in MLB this season. They went into Wednesday’s game with a 60-97 record, three games ahead of the Colorado Rockies (57-100), who own the worst record in baseball, and two games behind the A’s (62-95).
This also means the Angels have secured the best possible odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 MLB Draft at 19.10%, tied with the A’s and Rockies heading into the draft lottery. They will also hold an 87.6% chance of landing a selection in the top six picks.
The Angels need to go 3-2 in their final five games to avoid the franchise’s first 100-loss season. They lost 99 games in 2024.
PLAYING IT SAFE WITH JOYCE
Relief pitcher Ben Joyce was kept out of Tuesday’s game as a purely precautionary measure, according to Suzuki.
“He’s been pitching pretty consistently,” Suzuki said. “We just wanted to give him another day and see how he feels.”
According to his manager, Joyce is happy to be pitching at the end of the year and not have an offseason of rehab work looming.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Grayson Rodriguez, 4-8, 5.96 ERA) at Mariners (TBA), Thursday, 6:40 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM, 710 AM
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