TEMPE, Ariz. -- Angels right-hander Chris Rodriguez took a big step in his recovery from right shoulder surgery on Tuesday, facing hitters for the first time since 2021.

Rodriguez, who underwent surgery to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder in October 2021, threw 20 pitches to hitters on a practice field prior to the Angels’ split-squad action against the A’s and D-backs. He threw all his pitches without any issues and was encouraged by the way he felt on the mound, although he didn’t see any velocity data immediately after his session.

“It was a step forward, for sure,” Rodriguez said. “Just really excited to be out there. I wanted to get a feel for everything with a hitter in the box. So I was really happy with everything.”

Rodriguez will continue to get stretched out as a starting pitcher, but there remains a chance he opens the season on the 15-day injured list to buy him more time to build up his pitch count. Regardless, he’s making progress with his throwing program and will continue to ramp things up.

Manager Phil Nevin said the Angels are even hoping to get Rodriguez into a Spring Training game in relief as part of his buildup. He’s not considered a candidate to open the year on the 60-day IL.

“Eventually we’d like to get him in a game before we take off,” Nevin said. “But it was another great step for him and how far he’s come.”

Rodriguez, 24, was once one of the club’s top pitching prospects and was impressive as a rookie in 2021, posting a 3.64 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings. He pitched in relief to open the year before being sent to the Minor Leagues to get stretched out to start. He made two starts with the Angels in August before being sent back to Triple-A Salt Lake after starting Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Blue Jays on Aug. 10.

It would be the last time that Rodriguez faced hitters, as he never pitched in Triple-A the rest of the season and was shut down with the shoulder injury that eventually required surgery. There was hope that he could return at some point in ’22, but the recovery process took longer than expected after he suffered a midseason setback.

But Rodriguez hasn’t had any problems since then, and he was able to make his long-awaited return to the mound on Tuesday.

“It’s more excitement [than nerves] because it's just been such a long road,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been a long road with a lot of obstacles. I had a smile on my face the whole day. So I was just really excited to get out there.”

Nevin impressed by Sandoval, Gil and Ohtani in Classic
Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval turned in a memorable performance for Team Mexico on Monday night, throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts against Team Japan in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic in Miami.

Sandoval faced his teammate Shohei Ohtani twice and retired him both times, including once by strikeout. But Team Japan ultimately advanced to the finals, with Munetaka Murakami’s walk-off, two-run double scoring Ohtani after he led off the ninth with a double of his own.

Nevin watched the game on television and enjoyed seeing Sandoval and Ohtani excel on the big stage. He said he plans to have Sandoval pitch on a back field in his next start on Sunday because his two outings in the Classic were so intense. Sandoval is slated to start the second game of the season for the Angels and the home opener on April 7.

“I talked to him this morning and told him how proud I was of him,” Nevin said. “And how great he looked. Except for the [tight] pants he was wearing.”

Nevin also spoke with Angels infield coach Benji Gil, who served as the manager for Team Mexico. Gil, who aspires to be a Major League manager, nearly took an underdog Team Mexico team to the finals, and had closer Giovanny Gallegos in for the ninth to protect a one-run lead, only for it to fall apart.

“I thought he did a phenomenal job,” Nevin said. “He did everything right. Sometimes, it just doesn’t go your way. He's disappointed, but we're excited to get him back in a couple days. It was really a cool moment for Mexico, and obviously Japan.”