ANAHEIM — Even though Angels relief pitcher Ben Joyce has been back for more than a month, he’s still not … back.
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The right-hander was out for a season and a half rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Since he was activated in early August, he has a 3.38 ERA, with nine walks and 15 strikeouts in 13⅓ innings. He’s converted five saves in seven opportunities.
“I feel pretty good,” Joyce said. “There’s been ups and downs. I kind of have to remind myself sometimes that it’s a pretty big shoulder surgery. It’s not going to be the same every day. There’s going to be good days and bad days. It’s just making the most of the bad days and taking advantage of the good days.”
Joyce recalled a comment from former teammate Alek Manoah, who also had a major arm surgery.
“It’s like you’ve got a new shoulder in there,” Joyce said. “You’re trying to figure out what it needs to go every day, or every other day. There are feels that are not always the same. You think it’s going to be the same as, back in 2024 or whatever, but some days it’s a little different. You’ve got to work through it.”
His fastball velocity has averaged 101 mph, which is down a tick from his 102 mph average in 2024.
One particular issue has been Joyce’s slider. Back in 2024, he threw it 15% of the time. Since he’s come back this year, he’s only thrown it 8% of the time. In his last two outings, only one of his 43 pitches has been a slider.
“That’s kind of been the last thing for me, getting the feel for that,” Joyce said. “When you’re doing rehab, it’s fastballs. Your whole throwing program is fastballs and getting the feel for that. I just think that’s the last step for me.”
Joyce said he’s also still trying to find his control. He’s had at least one walk in three straight outings. On Aug. 28, he walked two and hit a batter before getting pulled.
The other issue is that the Angels are not using Joyce on back-to-back days. That means that his work has been sporadic, so finding a rhythm can be a challenge.
“Some days I feel like I’ve been pitching for two years, and some days I feel like I took 16 months off,” Joyce said. “It’s just finding that balance. I do whatever I need to do in between to stay sharp. I appreciate them looking out for me. It’s been a hard two years, and I appreciate them having my health in their minds with what they’re doing. That gives me a lot of confidence for sure.”
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Joyce, who turns 26 on Thursday, said he’s looking forward to having a normal offseason without rehabbing, which will allow him to be stronger next season.
“I’m going to talk with (the Angels and medical staff) and take however much time off and then kind of get into a normal throwing program and take advantage of a healthy offseason to work on the slider, work on the sinker, dial in all those things,” he said. “And then build myself up to where I can pitch 70 games next year or whatever it might be, to be healthy in October when we make it there.”
NETO HONORED
Shortstop Zach Neto is the Angels’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes players for their community service. Each team has one nominee and a major-league wide winner will be announced during the World Series.
Neto, whose father was in the Navy, has supported charities related to the military throughout his career.
HEADING TO THE AFL
Shortstop Arjun Nimmala, who was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in the José Soriano trade last month, will be one of eight Angels prospects to play in the Arizona Fall League.
Nimmala hit eight home runs with a .966 OPS in 27 games with the Angels’ Double-A team.
The other seven players are right-handers Peyton Olejnik, Kyle Robinson, Sam Tookoian, Yeferson Vargas and Najer Victor; third baseman Jake Munroe and first baseman Ryland Zabrowski.
NOTES
Reid Detmers was presented with the Good Guy Award by the Los Angeles/Anaheim chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America. The award is given each year for cooperation with the media. …
Four Rancho Cucamonga players were named to the California League postseason All-Star team, led by outfielder Hayden Alvarez. Shortstop Kendrey Maduro and right-handers Dylan Jordan and Fulton Lockhart were also selected.
UP NEXT
Mariners (RHP George Kirby, 9-11, 4.25 ERA) at Angels (LHP Yusei Kikuchi, 1-5, 4.75 ERA), Wednesday, 6:38 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM
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