Taylor Ward was back at Angel Stadium on Monday, starting a homecoming series for the Baltimore Orioles after the November trade that ended his run with the Angels. He said the visit would feel strange, but also said it should be fun.
Ward spent the first 704 games of his major league career with the Angels, so the first return came with more than a usual opponent in the other dugout. He said he had never been in the visiting team’s clubhouse at Angel Stadium before this series, and the setting carried the weight of the years he spent there.
“I haven’t been out there yet, but once I do I’m sure it’s going to bring back so many memories of everything I did here and the time I had here,” Ward said before Monday’s game. “It was great. It should be fun tonight.”
Ward and Rodriguez in November
The move that sent Ward to Baltimore also involved Grayson Rodriguez going the other way in November. Rodriguez has not been part of the series because he is on the injured list with lower back inflammation, and he said he threw a short bullpen and planned to throw from the mound again on Tuesday.
Rodriguez has been on the injured list twice this season. He pitched 116⅔ innings in the majors in 2024, then none in 2025 before this season’s starts, and he has thrown 25⅔ innings in six starts this season. He said, “A lot better,” when asked about his recovery, then added, “Just going day by day. Feels so much better than it did a week ago. Definitely going in the right direction with that.”
Angel Stadium and the left-field fence
Ward entered the series hitting.255 with a.748 OPS and four home runs. Baltimore’s left field fence is deeper than the one in Anaheim, a detail that offers one reason his power numbers may look different in the two parks without changing the fact that he is facing the same club in the same building where he spent most of his career.
The homecoming also lined up with other roster moves for the Angels. Jorge Soler returned to the lineup after missing 16 games with a left oblique strain, and Nick Madrigal was designated for assignment to open a spot for him after hitting.273 with a.680 OPS in 15 games. Christian Moore was not in the starting lineup on Monday after being in the lineup three times in his first five games in the majors this season.
Kurt Suzuki said of Moore, “He’s going to play,” and on Soler’s return, “It’s a good stabilizing force in the cleanup spot, having Georgie back in the lineup.” For Ward, the immediate next step is simple: keep playing through a return that feels familiar and strange at the same time, with the mound work for Rodriguez set to resume Tuesday.
