The Angels optioned Dana to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.
Dana was wildly inconsistent across his three Cactus League outings. He surrendered three earned runs over 1.2 innings in his spring debut before tossing three scoreless frames in his second start. He then struggled again in his most recent outing, giving up seven runs in one inning while striking out two and walking four. The 21-year-old prospect will look to find his footing in Triple-A to begin the year and attempt to return to the Angels' rotation at some point this summer.
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Angels' Caden Dana: Shines in spring start
Rotowire
Dana pitched three perfect innings Thursday, compiling three strikeouts against the Cubs in a Cactus League contest.
The 21-year-old wasn't originally slated to start, but he stepped into that role after Jack Kochanowicz was scratched due to an illness. Dana thrived against Chicago, retiring all nine batters he faced on 36 pitches. He'd struggled in his first first appearance this spring, allowing three runs over 1.2 frames against Seattle.
The Angels announced Monday that Dana has been optioned to Double-A Rocket City and won't pitch for the rest of the season in an effort to ensure he enters the offseason at full health, MLB.com reports.
Dana has been hit hard since being promoted at the beginning of the month, surrendering 11 earned runs on 14 hits and seven walks while registering eight strikeouts over 10.1 innings. While this isn't the type of performance he was looking for in his first taste of the big leagues, Dana was the second-youngest player in the majors (behind the Brewers' Jackson Chourio) before his demotion and could win a big-league rotation spot in the spring.
Dana (1-2) allowed five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Astros.
Dana allowed five runs for the second start in a row, though he was able to pitch fairly well the first time through the order. Four of the five runs on his line came in the fourth inning. Dana now has a 10.45 ERA, 2.03 WHIP and 8:7 K:BB over 10.1 innings through three big-league starts. The 20-year-old offers little fantasy appeal in redraft formats, but this rough first stint in the majors shouldn't impact his long-term outlook. He's tentatively projected for a rematch with the Astros in Houston for his next start.
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Angels' Caden Dana: Falters in second start
Rotowire
Dana (1-1) allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out one over one-plus inning, taking the loss Sunday versus the Rangers.
Dana was pretty good in his major-league debut versus the Mariners last Sunday, but he couldn't follow it up against a more formidable offense. The Rangers pounced on the rookie for three home runs, and he left the contest after allowing five straight batters to reach to begin the second inning. Dana is likely to remain in the majors as long as the Angels keep with a six-man rotation, but he's a risky streaming option in fantasy since he's often had trouble with high walk rates. He's tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Astros.
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Angels' Caden Dana: Receiving another start
Rotowire
Dana is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Rangers in Arlington.
Dana is likely to stick around with the Angels in September as part of a six-man rotation, and a strong finish to the season would position the 20-year-old to begin the 2025 campaign as a member of the Opening Day rotation. The young righty produced a quality start in his MLB debut this past Sunday, covering six innings en route to claiming a win against Seattle. He struck out four and gave up two earned runs on two hits and four walks.
Dana (1-0) allowed two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out four over six innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Sunday.
Dana was called up from Double-A Rocket City on Friday in advance of his debut. While his control was a little shaky, he was able to limit the Mariners to a Luke Raley solo home run in the second inning and a Victor Robles sacrifice fly in the third. Dana has improved over time in the minors in regards to cutting his walk rate -- he posted a 2.6 BB/9 while maintaining a 2.59 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 135.2 innings with Rocket City this year. The 20-year-old right-hander was sharper than Samuel Aldegheri, who debuted Friday, so if the Angels go with a five-man rotation in September, Dana has the early edge to staying in a starting role. He's tentatively projected to make his next start on the road versus the Rangers, which would hold true if the Angels opt to go with six starters.
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