Angels Pitcher Announces Sudden Retirement From MLB at 24 Years Old

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Zach Joyce announced he is retiring from Major League Baseball. The right-hander was just 24 years old and was selected by the Angels in the 2023 draft.
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Joyce made the announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. Joyce produced a 2.53 ERA across 10.2 innings pitched in the minors.
"To be completely upfront and honest to people who have supported me so much through this journey, I have decided to step away from baseball and retire," Joyce wrote. "This doesn't mean permanently, as the option will always be open, but at the point I'm in with my health currently it was the best option we could decide on.
"I have been dealing with some back issues with bulging discs, disc degeneration, and spinal stenosis of the nerve canal. That along with other arm injuries has taken a major toll on my mental and physical health, and the desire to continue playing."
“For I know the plans I have for you…” - Jeremiah 29:11 pic.twitter.com/QiXhyPKrIl
— Zach Joyce (@joyce_zach) January 16, 2025
Joyce and his twin brother, Ben, have been playing baseball together since the age of three. From little league to college, they were together every step of the way. Then, the pair were both drafted by the Angels.
Joyce has previously spoken about his mental health struggles, which began during his college career after he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020.
"It was right when COVID started so I kind of did all the rehab on my own, and it ended up not going very well," Joyce said. "Kind of fell into a clinical depression and pretty severe anxiety, having like panic attacks and stuff. It was kind of where I shut everything in."
"I think it's really cool that he's been so vocal about being open about your feelings, especially as guys it's more like keep it to yourself," Ben Joyce said of his brother's decision to speak about his struggles. "I think it's more being a man to be honest about your feelings."
Though baseball didn't work out for Joyce, he is already looking for his next job in social media and marketing. He recently posted in a Facebook group to offer his services.
"Hello all! My name is Zach Joyce. I am a former professional athlete, I just recently retired because of a spinal condition from professional baseball," Joyce wrote. "I have run a couple businesses and learned a ton about running social media pages, customer interaction, instagram adds and Facebook ads. I have an instagram page with about 16.2k followers as well as grew a baseball training business page to 5.5k followers and tripled their income in about 6 months. I would love to connect with you all interested in social media marketing or looking for someone to run your social media, ads, etc!"
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