A familiar face is making his Major League-return for the Los Angeles Angels. 16-year veteran and 38-year-old pitcher Johnny Cueto is set to make his season debut.

Cueto will start for the Angels on Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals according to Erica Weston of Bally Sports West.

Cueto spent the beginning of this season in the Texas Rangers' minor league system, but opted out of his contract in July in order to pursue a Major League opportunity. He then signed a minor league deal with the Angels before earning his recent promotion, and giving Cueto the chance to pitch in the Major League's for a 17th consecutive season.

Last season, Cueto had a disappointing stint with the Miami Marlins, going 1-4 in 13 appearances with a 6.02 ERA.

While the Angels are already out of contention for a postseason spot, Cueto still has a chance to influence some of Los Angeles' young pitchers like 23-year-old reliever Ben Joyce and and 24-year-old starter Reid Detmers.

It's fitting that Cueto will make his season and team debut in Kansas City against the Royals. In 2015, the Royals traded for Cueto during the season and won the World Series, with Cueto pitching a complete game two-hit gem in Game 2.

Johnny Cueto's historic career

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Cueto, a two-time All-Star, began his career in 2008 with the Cincinnati Reds. He spent the first seven and a half years in Cincinnati, earning his first career All-Star berth in 2014 on his way to a dominant 20-win season while leading the National League with 243 2/3 innings and 242 strikeouts.

The Royals traded for Cueto in the middle of the 2015 season, where he helped lead them to a World Series victory, giving Cueto his first and only championship.

After his quick pit stop in Kansas City, Cueto spent his next six seasons with the San Francisco Giants. He appeared in his second career All-Star game in 2016, going 18-5 and pitching a league-leading and career-high five complete games.

In the last few years of his career, Cueto spent 2022 with the Chicago White Sox and 2023 with the Marlins before finding his way to the Angels this season.

If Cueto can impress during the last six weeks of this season, he could be able to earn another Major League opportunity next year and continue pitching for a 19th season at age-39. But for now, his focus should be acting as a role model for a young, up-and-coming Angels team.