SEATTLE — Right-hander Ben Joyce didn’t make it quite to the end of the season, but it was close enough for him to feel good about coming back from shoulder surgery.
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The Angels placed Joyce on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement on Thursday, with four games to go in the season.
Joyce, who had shoulder surgery in April 2025, said he didn’t feel his shoulder bouncing back as he’d hoped after his outing on Saturday, so the Angels decided not to push it for the final games of the season.
Joyce had his rehab stalled in May by a similar feeling, delaying his eventual return until August.
“I’m not concerned structurally,” Joyce said. “I think it’s just 16 months out of surgery. I think it’s part of the ups and downs. … I don’t think it’s going to affect anything long-term. It’s just right now in a spot where we don’t feel comfortable pushing it.”
Joyce, 26, pitched in 16 games, working 15⅓ innings. He had a 4.11 ERA, with 18 strikeouts and nine walks.
Joyce suffered two losses and he blew three saves, including one of the losses.
He showed he still had his fastball, averaging 101 mph with his four-seamer and topping out at 104.5 mph. He acknowledged that he never really got the feel for his slider, though. The lack of a dependable offspeed pitch was one of the reasons he struggled at times.
Joyce will now have the winter to try clean up those issues for next season. He said he won’t throw “for a little bit, like anybody else” but then he’ll have what he called a normal offseason.
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Overall, he was pleased with what he showed in his return.
“It was encouraging to know I still have it in there,” Joyce said. “I have the velo and stuff. When I first came back it was probably the best I felt pitching. It just sucks that (this discomfort) couldn’t have been a week later, but it just caught up with me I guess. I’m excited going into the offseason to have a relatively healthy offseason and to see what I can do with a healthy offseason in a full season next year.”
Manager Kurt Suzuki agreed that this shutdown is more a precaution than a concern.
“It’s just being smart about it,” Suzuki said. “There’s no need to push him at this point. He came up and he pitched enough and did really well for us. I think the biggest thing was him coming up and showing that he’s ready to go.”
The Angels recalled right-hander Trevor Martin to take Joyce’s roster spot.
CHAMPIONS
A day after Double-A Rocket City celebrated the Southern League championship, Suzuki said those players made important steps in their development by winning the title.
“If you’ve been in this game, you understand that there’s learning how to win,” Suzuki said. “That’s something that’s very important. I think that’s something that gets overlooked a little bit. Those guys showing the ability to win a championship means a lot and goes a long way.”
Shortstop Arjun Nimmala, the Angels’ top prospect, hit a home run in the clinching game of the best-of-three series against the Biloxi (Miss.) Shuckers on Wednesday night. Right-hander Tyler Bremner pitched five scoreless innings in Game 2, which Rocket City lost.
The Angels had not won a championship in Double-A since 2008.
UP NEXT
Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 6-8, 3.47 ERA) at Mariners (RHP Bryce Miller, 4-9, 3.99 ERA), Friday, 7:10 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM
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