Angels Star Reacts to 'Heartbreaking' Season-Ending Injury for Teammate

When Angels pitcher Ben Joyce was told he needed season-ending surgery, it came as a blow not just to fans, but to Joyce's teammates as well.

Joyce, 24, isn't expected back until 2026.

More news: Angels’ Ben Joyce Undergoes Surgery, Out for Season

According to Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group, the news hit the Angels' catcher hard.

“It sucks,” O’Hoppe, who is living with Joyce this season, told Fletcher. “I don’t know if there’s any better way to put it, other than it sucks. He takes care of his body better than anybody. He works harder than anybody. He cares more than anybody in this room. So to see that happen is pretty heartbreaking, not only for him, but I know selfishly being close to this family too. It sucks, but he’ll come back better because of it. But it just sucks that he has to lose so much time in order to do it.”

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News of Joyce's surgery, 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.

Oh man, a LOT happening here. https://t.co/KCtDEeIXNp
— 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 15-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) that he had been shut down from throwing and was scheduled to meet with a doctor this week.

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Joyce was seen as a potential closer coming into the 2025 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.

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

Joyce 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.

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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.

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