Farmington Native Chase Silseth Eyes Angels' 2026 Opening Day Bullpen Spot

Farmington native Chase Robert Silseth, 25, is pressing for a Los Angeles Angels Opening Day bullpen spot after what team and local reports call a productive, injury-free offseason and encouraging work at the Angels’ spring training complex in Tempe, Arizona. The right-hander has MLB experience as both a starter and a reliever and is competing with newly signed veterans for limited bullpen roles.

Silseth made a memorable major-league debut on May 13, 2022 at Oakland, throwing 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, striking out four and earning the win. Baseball-Reference lists him at 6-0, 217 pounds, born May 18, 2000 in Farmington, and credits him with 105 career strikeouts and service time of 1.105 as of January 2026; he is pre-arbitration eligible in 2026, arbitration eligible in 2028 and a potential free agent in 2031.

After returning from right elbow surgery, Silseth’s primary big-league work in 2025 came out of the bullpen: he appeared in 10 games for the Angels, all in relief, while logging additional innings for Triple-A Salt Lake and at the club’s rookie-level Arizona team. HaloHangout recorded a 2025 reliever line of a 1.64 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings and noted Silseth’s reliance on a fastball-splitter combination as he moved into relief work.

Silseth’s path has been interrupted by injury. MLB transaction and medical records show he was placed on the injured list April 8, 2024 with right elbow inflammation, made five rehab starts, was optioned to Salt Lake on June 25, 2024, then placed on Salt Lake’s injured list July 31. He produced a strong three-start finish for Salt Lake from July 14-28, 2024 (10.1 IP, 1 ER, 0.87 ERA, six strikeouts) before undergoing right elbow surgery Aug. 5, 2024 and missing the remainder of that season.

Roster movement in 2025 underscored his fringe status: MLB transaction logs show multiple recalls and options between Salt Lake and Los Angeles in August and September 2025, including recalls Aug. 20 and Aug. 24 and a series of option/recall moves Sept. 3–11. HaloHangout cautioned that veteran offseason signings such as Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano and Silseth’s remaining minor-league options complicate his Opening Day bid, noting that “it is just one spring training appearance, but it will be an uphill battle” and that “if he can't, Silseth likely will return to Salt Lake City and wait until he gets a chance in the regular season for the Angels.”

Silseth maintains close ties to Farmington even while living in the Phoenix area about 20 minutes from the Angels facility with his fiancée Meghan and their 2-year-old daughter. In a phone interview from the Angels spring complex, he said, “It all started with Farmington. I want to give back as much as I can to that town.” The next few weeks of Cactus League action and camp bullpen work will shape whether Silseth cracks the Angels’ 2026 Opening Day roster or begins the season in Salt Lake.