Kirby Yates moves to Triple-A Salt Lake, nears Angels return

Kirby Yates took the next step in his comeback when the Angels moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake, the clearest sign yet that the veteran right-hander is approaching activation.

That promotion matters because Triple-A is the last proving ground before the majors, and the Angels are no longer just checking whether Yates can get hitters out in a controlled setting. They now want to see whether the 39-year-old can hold his velocity, repeat his command, recover cleanly between outings and handle the kind of leverage he was signed for in January. Yates, who has worked back from left knee inflammation, had already faced hitters for the first time on April 7 after landing on the injured list on March 22. He was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to that date on March 24.

The move to Salt Lake comes after Yates opened his rehab stint at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on April 17 and allowed one run in one inning. That outing was enough to move him up the ladder, and it fits the timeline MLB.com initially laid out with a late-April return. For the Angels, that means the bullpen piece they targeted as a late-inning option is close to returning to a major-league staff that has spent much of the spring dealing with injuries and turnover.

Yates was one of the Angels’ most notable offseason bullpen additions, joining on a one-year, $5 million contract on Jan. 7. The club also brought in Jordan Romano and Drew Pomeranz as part of a broader relief overhaul, with Yates viewed as one of the veterans capable of handling high-leverage innings in Anaheim. At his best, he is more than a placeholder arm; he is a bridge to the ninth inning, and a potential answer in the kind of tight games that have exposed the Angels’ lack of depth.

His track record explains the urgency. Yates’ Minor League Baseball career page lists 472 games, 30 wins, 24 losses, a 3.36 ERA and 98 saves. That resume is why the Angels moved quickly to sign him and why every rehab step now carries added weight. If Salt Lake shows the fastball is back, the knee is sound and the command is sharp, Yates could soon give Los Angeles a proven late-inning option just as the bullpen needs one most.