Santiago cut back on his bullpen workload during the offseason in hopes of avoiding a second-half fade in 2016, the Orange County Register reports.
After throwing from a mound more than 20 times prior to last spring training, Santiago had nine sessions before reporting to Arizona this month. Santiago faded in the second half last season, as opposing hitters posted an .841 OPS against him after the All-Star break while he pitched to a 5.47 ERA (2.33 ERA in the first half, .637 OPS against). As things stand, Santiago should be considered the early favorite for the No. 5 starter job coming out of spring training, but the Angels may opt to move him into a high-leverage relief role if Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, or Matt Shoemaker emerge to overtake him for the team's final rotation spot.