Angels’ Ben Joyce Undergoes Surgery, Out for Season

Angels pitcher Ben Joyce underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder Wednesday morning, the team announced. He is expected to miss the remainder of this season.

The announcement, while hardly surprising, is the worst-case outcome for a pitcher who had been attempting to come back from what was first thought to be a minor ailment.

Ben Joyce had shoulder inflammation. The Angels believed it to be minor. He tried playing catch last week.

Clearly it’s much mire serious.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) May 9, 2025

Joyce was 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in five games this season before he suffered the shoulder injury. He was initially placed on the 10-day injured list April 11, leaving him eligible to return in relatively short order.

That changed last Friday, when the Angels transferred Joyce to the 60-day IL amid a flurry of roster moves.

#Angels transactions:

•Selected the contract of RHP Shaun Anderson (#64)
•Recalled OF Matthew Lugo (#15) from Triple-A Salt Lake
•Placed OF Gustavo Campero (left ankle inflammation) on 10-day injured list (retro to May 7)
•Following last night’s game, optioned RHP Ryan…
— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) May 9, 2025

At the time, the right-hander told reporters (including Sam Blum of The Athletic and Jack Janes of The Sporting Tribune) that he had been shut down from throwing and was scheduled to meet with a doctor this week.

Joyce was seen as a potential closer coming into the season — if not at the outset, then perhaps down the road, if the Angels were to trade veteran Kenley Jansen to a contending team at the deadline, as they have done in years past with Raisel Iglesias, Carlos Estevez and others.

More news: Angels Make Unfortunate Announcement Regarding Ben Joyce's Injury Recovery

Joyce, 24, was the Angels' third-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee. His blazing fastball once touched 105.5 mph in college, putting his name on the draft map.

Last year, Joyce threw the fastest pitch delivered by any pitcher in 2024, a 105.5 mph fastball to the Dodgers' Tommy Edman on Sept. 4.

Ben Joyce, 105.5 MPH Fastball. 😳⛽️ pic.twitter.com/WeMIJp1fX8
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 4, 2024

The only major league pitcher known to throw harder than Joyce is Aroldis Chapman, who reached 105.8 mph in 2010 and 105.7 mph in 2016.

In 48 career MLB games, Joyce is 4-1 with a 3.12 ERA. He won't get to add to those totals until 2026, which figures to change the Angels' calculus for solving their bullpen woes.

The 2025 Angels bullpen:

t-last in ERA (7.07)
t-last in WHIP (1.73)
Last in FIP (5.38)
Last in fWAR (-1.3)
Highest OPS against (.902)
Highest HR/9 (1.49)
Most HR allowed (28)
— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) May 14, 2025

Entering Wednesday's game in San Diego, Angels relievers have a 7.07 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and have allowed 28 home runs to opponents this season. Each of those figures is the worst in the American League.

Most recently, the Angels turned to veteran right-handers Shaun Anderson and Connor Brogdon to plug innings. While Anderson has transitioned well from Triple-A to the big leagues (4.2 innings pitched, one earned run), Brogdon (3.2 IP, five earned runs) has not.

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Even Jansen (0-2, 6.55 ERA in 13 games) has struggled to stabilize the late innings. In any event, help will not come come this year from Joyce, and one of the Angels' most exciting pitchers must bide his time to return to the mound.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.