Angels Shut Down Pitcher After Only 15 Games With Season-Ending Injury

The 26-year-old leads the team in saves this season, with five

Minnesota Twins center fielder Walker Jenkins (11) is congratulated by third base coach Ramon Borrego (46) after hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning against Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ben Joyce (44) at Angel Stadium on Sept. 17, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ben Joyce's season is over.

The Angels placed the hard-throwing reliever on the 15-day injured list Thursday (retroactive to Monday) with right shoulder impingement, effectively ruling him out from returning before the regular season ends. The Angels finish the season with four consecutive games in Seattle, starting today.

Joyce, 26, appeared in only 15 games after beginning the season on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. He was only on the Angels' active roster for a total of seven weeks.

That was long enough for Joyce to rack up five saves — remarkably, more than any other Angels pitcher this year — and show flashes of why the team continues to carve out space for him amid myriad injuries.

Joyce struck out 18 batters and allowed only eight hits in 15.1 innings. His fastball averaged 101 mph, and he was able to generate swings and misses on 31.5 percent of his pitches.

In a corresponding roster move, Trevor Martin was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake. Originally a waiver-wire pickup from the Tampa Bay Rays in August, Martin has now been optioned and recalled from Salt Lake twice in the season's final six weeks.

In seven games with the Angels this season, Martin is 0-1 with a 4.40 ERA. He's allowed 18 hits and 11 runs (seven earned) in 14.1 innings, walking six batters and striking out eight.

Martin has also made six appearances at Triple-A Salt Lake since he switched teams, going 0-0 with a 4.97 ERA. With the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, was 3-1 with a 3.09 ERA across 27 appearances for the Durham Bulls.

Questions surround Ben Joyce's future with the Angels

As for Joyce, he's the rare pitcher who might benefit from a lockout delaying the start of the 2027 season. In four MLB seasons, he's never appeared in more than 31 games in a single season. His latest IL placement is his fourth, each for an injury related to his powerful yet fragile right shoulder.

The Angels' next general manager — whether the job goes to interim John Mozeliak, or someone else — faces a difficult question with Joyce: how much value does a still-young, team-controlled closer have when he can't be counted on to pitch a full season?

In Joyce's case, it's hard not to connect his repeated trips to the injured list to his eye-popping velocity. Only Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman has been officially clocked with better speed than Joyce's 105.5-mph fastball on Sept. 3, 2024.

If Joyce can be a little more available, and equally effective, with a little less velocity, it's a path forward worth exploring. If not, the Angels might have to make the difficult choice to move on without him.