​Los Angeles Angels reliever Ben Joyce returned to his rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday, continuing his long road back from injury. Joyce has spent more than a year on the injured list after undergoing shoulder surgery last season, and he only began ramping back up to full speed this season. He initially started his rehab assignment in May, appearing in four games, but the Angels shut him down again without offering an explanation. Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports that Joyce encountered issues bouncing back after his last Single-A appearance, leading the Angels to pause his rehab stint. Across his four minor-league outings, Joyce surrendered two runs, one earned, over four innings and fanned five hitters.
In his Tuesday return to the Complex League, Joyce pitched just 0.2 innings against the Complex League Cubs, yielding two walks, two hits, and two earned runs on 22 pitches. The right-hander burst onto the scene for the Angels in 2024, appearing in 31 games and posting a 2.08 ERA. He struck out 33 batters across 34.1 innings and gained notable attention when he threw a 105.5 mph fastball—the fastest pitch in the Statcast era by any pitcher not named Aroldis Chapman—to strike out Tommy Edman.
Joyce made a comeback in 2025 but was limited to five appearances with a 6.23 ERA before his injury sidelined him again. A photo from September 3, 2024, at Angel Stadium shows Joyce delivering a blazing 105.5 mph pitch to Kinth Edman in the eighth inning, a moment that underscored the promise he carries when healthy.
While Joyce’s rehab numbers aren’t eye-popping, the Angels are in dire need of any help they can get to reverse their slide this season. They have dropped seven straight games and, in terms of bullpen efficiency, sit among the league’s weaker units. The Angels entered the latest stretch with a collective bullpen ERA around 4.70, a figure that places them behind only a handful of teams, including the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, and Colorado Rockies.
Joyce’s return to game activity offers a glimmer of hope for a team desperate for relief depth. He is widely regarded as one of the game’s most electric arms, with velocity that can disrupt opposing lineups. If he can regain his form and build up innings without setback, Joyce could become a key piece for an Angels bullpen that has been under considerable strain this season. His presence could supply a much-needed boost for a relief corps that has struggled to close out games and maintain leads, potentially changing the dynamic of late-inning matchups.
As the Angels prepare for their next test, they head on the road to face the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, with first pitch set for 5:05 p.m. PT. The team will be hoping Joyce’s rehab progress accelerates and translates into effective outings when he returns to higher levels of competition. If Joyce can regain his pre-injury form, he could provide a transformative impact for a bullpen that has faced sustained adversity and a struggling offense, making his rehab stint a noteworthy storyline to monitor in the weeks ahead. The post Angels’ Ben Joyce Back on Rehab Assignment After Huge Setback appeared first on LA Sports Report.