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Angels' Ben Joyce: Making another rehab appearance
Rotowire
Joyce (shoulder) is slated to make a fifth rehab appearance Sunday with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The hard-throwing righty has had uneven results through his first four outings for Rancho Cucamonga, striking out five batters and surrendering just three hits over four innings but yielding two runs (one earned) while issuing three walks and hitting two batters. Joyce is working his way back from labral repair surgery performed last May and may need close to the entirety of his 30-day rehab window before being activated from the 15-day injured list. Once he's reinstated, Joyce should step into a high-leverage role in an Angels bullpen that remains unsettled at the back end.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: Beginning assignment Wednesday
Rotowire
Joyce (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday, Taylor Blake Ward of TheSportingTribune.com reports.
Joyce has been throwing live batting practice since mid-April and is now set to make his return to a competitive environment for the first time since undergoing labral repair surgery last May. It's unclear how long the Angels plan on keeping the 25-year-old in the minors, but considering how long he's been sidelined, he will likely get plenty of reps down on the farm before returning to the Halos' bullpen.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: Faces hitters Tuesday
Rotowire
Joyce (shoulder) threw live batting practice Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
It's the first time Joyce has thrown against live hitters since he underwent surgery in July 2025 to repair his labrum. The Angels still don't have a firm timeline in place for the right-hander's return, but he will likely require a lengthy rehab assignment before being cleared to return to Los Angeles' bullpen.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: Making progress toward return
Rotowire
Joyce (shoulder) isn't yet tossing bullpens at full intensity, but he's doing well in his throwing program, per MLB.com.
Joyce continues to work toward returning to game action after undergoing right shoulder surgery last May. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said the righty reliever looks good and may be able to make his return to game action more quickly than anticipated. When Joyce is activated, he could work his way into a high-leverage role and potentially even closing duties, depending on the performance of Jordan Romano.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: Officially placed on IL
Rotowire
The Angels placed Joyce (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Monday.
Joyce is still on the mend from a shoulder procedure he underwent last May, so the Halos will stash him on the injured list to begin the regular season. The 25-year-old never made an appearance in the Cactus League but has been throwing off a mound, so he may not need much more than a minimum-length IL stint before he returns to the Angels bullpen.
Joyce (shoulder) has been throwing bullpens but is likely to start the regular season on the injured list, per MLB.com.
Joyce underwent shoulder surgery to repair his labrum last May and continues to work his way back. His most recent bullpen session took place Tuesday, so the fireballing reliever seems to be making good progress, but he hasn't yet pitched in a spring game and seems to be tracking toward an IL stint to open the campaign. Even if that is the case, Joyce doesn't seem to be looking at a lengthy absence, and he could work his way up to high-leverage work out of the bullpen quickly upon his return to game action.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: Another bullpen session coming
Rotowire
Joyce (shoulder) will throw another bullpen session Wednesday, likely only throwing fastballs and changeups, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Joyce said Tuesday that his throwing progression is going well, but he's not yet ready to incorporate sliders into his routine. It's not clear whether he'll be ready in time for Opening Day, but he continues to make steady progress.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: Throws bullpen session
Rotowire
Joyce (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
It's the first time the right-hander has thrown from the bump this spring. Joyce is a tad behind other Angels pitchers as he comes back from last May's surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, but he seems to have a good shot to be ready Opening Day, barring setbacks. The 25-year-old is expected to be in the mix to close games for the Halos, though he could be eased into high-leverage opportunities following what was essentially a lost season.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: Cleared for mound work
Rotowire
Joyce (shoulder) is slated to throw a bullpen session off a half mound Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Joyce is beginning spring training slightly behind the Angels' healthy pitchers, but working off a mound this early in camp is a promising sign. That said, manager Kurt Suzuki wouldn't guarantee Tuesday that Joyce would be ready to go for Opening Day, as the Angels plan to take a day-by-day approach with the flame-throwing righty reliever. The 25-year-old missed the final five months of the 2025 season after undergoing surgery in May to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: Uncertain for Opening Day
Rotowire
Manager Kurt Suzuki said Joyce (shoulder) is playing catch, but it remains to be seen if the right-hander will be ready by Opening Day, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old made just five appearances in 2025 due to shoulder issues, which necessitated surgery to repair a torn labrum in May. It's encouraging that Joyce has started up a throwing program, but he'll require a significant ramp-up period while coming back from major surgery. Once healthy, he could be part of the closer mix for the Angels, along with Robert Stephenson and Kirby Yates.
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Angels' Ben Joyce: In mix to close games in 2026
Rotowire
The Angels could turn to Joyce (elbow) as their closer during the 2026 season, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.
General manager Perry Minasian indicated Monday that he's undecided whether the team needs to add an established closer from outside the organization. If it doesn't, Joyce and Robert Stephenson (elbow) appear to be the top in-house candidates for the role. Both pitchers, however, are coming off injuries, with Joyce missing most of 2025 following surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder. It's unclear where Joyce is currently at in his throwing program, and it's also not a given that his stuff will return to what it was pre-surgery, making him an iffy guy to count on for 2026.
Joyce (shoulder) is expected to begin a throwing progression within one month, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.
Joyce noted Monday that his shoulder is feeling healthy, though he's not yet sure if he'll be a full go by spring training. "It's going great," said Joyce. "I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. Shoulder feels good. So it's come along better than I could have expected." The team should continue to provide updates on Joyce's status as he makes his way through his throwing progression.
Angels' Ben Joyce: Underwent surgery to repair labrum
Rotowire
Joyce said Friday that he underwent shoulder surgery in May to repair his labrum, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Joyce hasn't pitched since April 8 and has already been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 season. He said it remains to be seen if he'll be ready for the start of spring training next February. The hard-throwing right-hander produced a 6.23 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 1:1 K:BB across 4.1 innings of work prior to being shut down with the injury earlier this season.
Joyce underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder Wednesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
The Angels shut down Joyce's throwing program earlier in the month after he reported further discomfort in his shoulder. Rather than waiting to see if more rest would do the trick, the 24-year-old righty opted to go under the knife to address the issue, sacrificing the rest of his season in the process. He'll close the book on 2025 with three earned runs allowed in 4.1 innings and shift his focus toward getting ready for the start of the '26 campaign.
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