Angels' Ben Joyce Appears Nowhere Near Return From Injury

Ben Joyce made some serious headlines last season.

The Tennessee native threw the third-fastest pitch in the Statcast Era — registering at 105.5 miles per hour. It was a nice cherry on the top of what was Joyce's most successful season as a big leaguer.

Ben Joyce 102mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/fnHBYAdA57
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 6, 2025

In 2024, Joyce appeared in 31 games, registering a 2.08 ERA. He allowed only 26 hits in 34.2 innings pitched. This upcoming season was supposed to be Joyce's coming out party as one of the American League's best relievers. While that still may happen, it likely won't occur for a while.

Joyce went on the IL on April 12 with shoulder inflammation. This is not the type of injury one wants to hear, especially if you're a pitcher reliant upon high-level velocity.

The Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher dropped a small nugget on Joyce and his status with the team. Manager Ron Washington spoke on the flamethrower, and the odds of him taking the mound anytime soon seem rather remote.

"Right-handed reliever Ben Joyce (shoulder inflammation) is “moving along slowly,” [Manager Ron] Washington said. 'We knew it would be. We just have to wait and how he progresses.' Joyce started playing catch last week."

More news: Angels Insider Doesn't Expect Top Prospect to Debut Anytime Soon

Ben Joyce throws 100.⁠
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He doesn’t have absurd separation.⁠
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His “block” wouldn’t be considered “good” if he was throwing 85.⁠
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Yes he still generates a ton of force through his oblique slings.⁠
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Yes his front leg is still elite.⁠
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Just because things don’t look… pic.twitter.com/1qqGQq8lZe
— Connected Performance (@CxnPerformance) April 29, 2025

It's not totally surprising to see the Angels take their time with Joyce. The last thing they want to see is him having a longterm injury keeping him out of action for a year or more. By slow-playing things, at the very least, Joyce can rebuild strength in his shoulder and perhaps rehab in a way that will allow him to avoid a possible surgery.

At the same time, humans are not meant to throw the ball as hard as he does. We've seen several relievers historically who've been nothing more than the proverbial flash in-the-pan. Joel Zumaya of the Detroit Tigers comes to mind as one of those players who essentially threw too hard — leading to a litany of arm issues.

Ben Joyce approved ✅

Be one of the first 25,000 fans at Angel Stadium this Friday, May 2nd and receive a @benjoyce08 Bobblehead, courtesy of Nitto Tire. Visit https://t.co/nAE6Pb23rf for more info. pic.twitter.com/lRNvty3Z0z
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 29, 2025

It could be a situation where the Angels preach throwing the ball a bit slower to avoid further shoulder issues. Even if his fastball sits in the high 90s with the occasional burst into the low 100s, it's still plenty potent enough to get hitters out at a very high clip.

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