Ben Joyce

Fantasy News

• Angels' Ben Joyce: Making progress toward return

  Rotowire Mar 29, 2026

  Joyce (shoulder) isn't yet tossing bullpens at full intensity, but he's doing well in his throwing program, per MLB.com. Joyce continues to work toward returning to game action after undergoing right shoulder surgery last May. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said the righty reliever looks good and may be able to make his return to game action more quickly than anticipated. When Joyce is activated, he could work his way into a high-leverage role and potentially even closing duties, depending on the performance of Jordan Romano.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Officially placed on IL

  Rotowire Mar 24, 2026

  The Angels placed Joyce (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Monday. Joyce is still on the mend from a shoulder procedure he underwent last May, so the Halos will stash him on the injured list to begin the regular season. The 25-year-old never made an appearance in the Cactus League but has been throwing off a mound, so he may not need much more than a minimum-length IL stint before he returns to the Angels bullpen.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Another bullpen session coming

  Rotowire Feb 24, 2026

  Joyce (shoulder) will throw another bullpen session Wednesday, likely only throwing fastballs and changeups, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. Joyce said Tuesday that his throwing progression is going well, but he's not yet ready to incorporate sliders into his routine. It's not clear whether he'll be ready in time for Opening Day, but he continues to make steady progress.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Throws bullpen session

  Rotowire Feb 17, 2026

  Joyce (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. It's the first time the right-hander has thrown from the bump this spring. Joyce is a tad behind other Angels pitchers as he comes back from last May's surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, but he seems to have a good shot to be ready Opening Day, barring setbacks. The 25-year-old is expected to be in the mix to close games for the Halos, though he could be eased into high-leverage opportunities following what was essentially a lost season.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Cleared for mound work

  Rotowire Feb 11, 2026

  Joyce (shoulder) is slated to throw a bullpen session off a half mound Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. Joyce is beginning spring training slightly behind the Angels' healthy pitchers, but working off a mound this early in camp is a promising sign. That said, manager Kurt Suzuki wouldn't guarantee Tuesday that Joyce would be ready to go for Opening Day, as the Angels plan to take a day-by-day approach with the flame-throwing righty reliever. The 25-year-old missed the final five months of the 2025 season after undergoing surgery in May to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Uncertain for Opening Day

  Rotowire Feb 10, 2026

  Manager Kurt Suzuki said Joyce (shoulder) is playing catch, but it remains to be seen if the right-hander will be ready by Opening Day, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. The 25-year-old made just five appearances in 2025 due to shoulder issues, which necessitated surgery to repair a torn labrum in May. It's encouraging that Joyce has started up a throwing program, but he'll require a significant ramp-up period while coming back from major surgery. Once healthy, he could be part of the closer mix for the Angels, along with Robert Stephenson and Kirby Yates.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Close to throwing

  Rotowire Aug 25, 2025

  Joyce (shoulder) is expected to begin a throwing progression within one month, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. Joyce noted Monday that his shoulder is feeling healthy, though he's not yet sure if he'll be a full go by spring training. "It's going great," said Joyce. "I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. Shoulder feels good. So it's come along better than I could have expected." The team should continue to provide updates on Joyce's status as he makes his way through his throwing progression.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Shifts to 60-day IL

  Rotowire May 9, 2025

  The Angels transferred Joyce (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Friday. The Angels shut down Joyce's throwing program last week after he reported shoulder discomfort following a round of catch. Now on the 60-day IL, the right-hander won't be eligible for activation until June 10, and it's still unknown how far away he is from throwing again. Shaun Anderson was selected to the active roster from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday to take Joyce's place on the 40-man.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Halts throwing program

  Rotowire May 3, 2025

  Joyce (shoulder) said Friday that he's no longer throwing but will try again next week, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. The fireballing reliever indicated that he has paused his throwing program because he didn't feel right while recently playing catch. Joyce was placed on the injured list April 11, and given his continued shoulder discomfort, he's likely at least a few weeks away from a potential return. Per Fletcher, tests on Joyce's shoulder haven't revealed anything beyond his original diagnosis of inflammation.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Making slow progress in rehab

  Rotowire May 2, 2025

  Angels manager Ron Washington described Joyce as "moving along, slowly" in his recovery from right shoulder inflammation, per MLB.com. Joyce has been on the injured list since April 11 due to the shoulder injury. Though the right-hander is technically eligible to be activated, it doesn't appear that he's close to a return. Joyce put up a 6.23 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over 4.1 innings prior to getting hurt, but all three of the runs he allowed came in his final appearance before landing on the IL, and he notably experienced diminished velocity in that outing.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Lands on IL with shoulder issue

  Rotowire Apr 11, 2025

  The Angels placed Joyce (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. Joyce is dealing with shoulder inflammation, which likely explains his noted drop in velocity earlier this week. Joyce expressed that he wasn't concerned following his Tuesday outing in which he allowed one home run and three earned runs during his one inning of work. With Joyce headed to the IL, the Angels have recalled Michael Darrell-Hicks from the minors.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: No longer expected to close

  Rotowire Feb 11, 2025

  Joyce is unlikely to be the Angels' primary closer with the team's signing of Kenley Jansen (shoulder) on Monday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. The Angels and Jansen agreed on a one-year, $10 million contract Monday, which DiGiovanna notes will likely give Joyce "another year to grow into [the] closer role." It wouldn't make much sense for Los Angeles to have signed Jansen for any other reason than to serve as the team's primary closer, as he currently sits first among active players -- and fourth all-time -- with 447 regular-season saves. While Jansen may be nearing the end of his storied career, he showed he still has gas left in the tank with his performance for Boston last year, which included a 3.29 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 28.4 percent strikeout rate and 27 saves. It's still likely that Joyce will get an occasional save opportunity, per Sam Blum of The Athletic, but at least for one season it appears he will be an understudy to Jansen, which cuts down Joyce's fantasy appeal in most formats considerably.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Converts save Sunday

  Rotowire Sep 1, 2024

  Joyce allowed a hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Mariners. Joyce's scoreless streak is up to seven innings over his last six appearances. In that span, he has three saves, a hold and a win while striking out eight and walking none. The flame-throwing right-hander is up to four saves and eight holds while pitching to a 2.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 31:14 K:BB through 33.2 innings in the majors this season.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Nabs second win

  Rotowire Sep 1, 2024

  Joyce (2-0) picked up the win over the Mariners on Saturday, allowing one hit over one inning while striking out one. Joyce took over in the top of the ninth with the score tied at 4-4 and retired the leadoff batter before hitting Randy Arozarena with a pitch and then giving up a single to Justin Turner. However, the 23-year-old was able to work his way out of the jam and was then rewarded with his second win of the campaign when the Angels walked it off in the bottom of the frame. Joyce has not allowed any runs or walks in five straight appearances while posting seven strikeouts over that stretch. He has, however, allowed at least one hit in three consecutive outings.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Picks up four-out save

  Rotowire Aug 29, 2024

  Joyce struck out two and allowed one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Thursday's 3-0 win against the Tigers. Joyce entered with two outs in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded and proceeded to strikeout Spencer Torkelson. Joyce then pitched a clean ninth inning to pick up his third save and second straight save of four or more outs. The 23-year-old gave up five runs in his first three appearances this season but has since been dominant, allowing three runs in his last 25 appearances.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Collects first save

  Rotowire Aug 4, 2024

  Joyce picked up the save over the Mets on Saturday, hurling 1.1 perfect innings while striking out one batter. Joyce entered the contest with two outs in the top of the eighth and a runner on third and was able to get Tyrone Taylor to ground out to escape the frame. The right-hander returned for the ninth and retired all three batters he faced, topping things off with a swinging strikeout of J.D. Martinez on a 104 mph fastball to end the game and secure his first save of the campaign. It stands to reason that the dazzling performance will earn Joyce more save opportunities moving forward, especially after Hunter Strickland coughed up multiple runs in the seventh of Saturday's contest to put the Angels behind late. The former has not allowed a run since June 11 against the Diamondbacks.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Named setup man, closer-in-waiting

  Rotowire Jul 28, 2024

  Angels manager Ron Washington said Sunday that Joyce will work as the club's top setup man after the trade of Carlos Estevez, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. Luis Garcia will step in as Anaheim's new closer, but he's also a candidate to be traded ahead Tuesday's deadline. If Garcia is dealt, Joyce will then be next in line for saves. The flame-throwing righty is averaging 101.8 mph on his fastball this season and has a 2.33 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 16:20 K:BB across 19.1 innings.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Optioned to Double-A

  Rotowire Mar 22, 2024

  The Angels optioned Joyce to Double-A Rocket City on Friday. The hard-throwing reliever held an 8.59 ERA and 6:9 K:BB over 7.1 innings this spring. Joyce could still be a key cog in the Angels' bullpen at some point this season, but he'll work on tightening things up in the minors first.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Moved to 60-day IL

  Rotowire Jul 27, 2023

  Joyce (elbow) was transferred Thursday from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. This is a procedural move to clear out a 40-man roster spot following the Angels' trade Wednesday for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. Joyce has been out since June 10 and will be sidelined through at least mid-August due to ulnar neuritis in his right elbow.

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• Angels' Ben Joyce: Set to resume throwing

  Rotowire Jun 26, 2023

  Joyce (elbow) is scheduled to play catch Monday on flat ground, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. It'll be his first time picking up a baseball since he went on the injured list June 10 due to right ulnar neuritis. Joyce told reporters last week that he no longer has numbness and tingling in his fingers. If all continues to go smoothly, the hard-throwing youngster could be ready to return to the Angels' bullpen sometime in mid-July.

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