HOUSTON -- The Angels have been off to an impressive start this season but the bullpen was dealt a big blow on Friday, as flamethrowing right-hander Ben Joyce was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Michael Darrell-Hicks was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace him on the roster.
Joyce pitched with diminished velocity in his outing on Tuesday against the Rays but said the next day that he felt fine physically. But clearly something bothered Joyce, as he landed on the IL before Friday¡¯s 14-3 loss to the Astros. His fastball averaged a career-low 99.3 mph but he said he didn¡¯t feel anything off in that outing and that it started to bother him when he tried to play catch before Wednesday¡¯s game.
¡°I¡¯m feeling a little inflammation in there,¡± Joyce said. ¡°Just kind of thought it was normal soreness, and ended up getting reevaluated and just a little more inflamed than we wanted it to be. So just trying to get ahead of it.¡±
Joyce, though, said it¡¯s still too early to know the full severity of the injury, so he¡¯s unsure of the concern level at this point. He also saw his breakout season last year end in early September due to the same injury.
¡°I don't really know yet,¡± Joyce said. ¡°We¡¯ll just kind of see how it progresses. And figure it out from there."
Joyce, 24, turned in four straight scoreless outings to open the year but gave up three runs while recording just one out in his last appearance, causing his ERA to rise to 6.23 in 4 1/3 innings this season. He entered as the club¡¯s top setup reliever for closer Kenley Jansen, as Joyce was dominant last year after adding a sinker to his arsenal. Joyce, whose fastball has reached as high as 105.5 mph, posted a 0.83 ERA over his final 28 appearances last year, with 32 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.
¡°It's a big blow to lose him,¡± manager Ron Washington said. ¡°He¡¯s a big piece. We used him in many spots. Our intentions when we came out of Spring Training was for him to be our eighth-inning pitcher. But the way the season has been going, we've been having to use him in the seventh or the eighth, whenever the big part of their lineup comes up. He's been the guy that has been taking care of that. Now someone else has to step up in that situation, and that's why they call it a team.¡±
Right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn is the top candidate to take over Joyce¡¯s role, while lefty Brock Burke will also be in the mix. Washington also mentioned youngsters Ryan Johnson and Garrett McDaniels as two relievers who will need to step up. But McDaniels gave up a grand slam in relief of right-hander Jack Kochanowicz on Friday, while Darrell-Hicks gave up four runs in an inning in his MLB debut and Ian Anderson was tagged for three runs over two frames.
¡°Those guys are going to have to fill in,¡± Washington said. ¡°And so far, they have, and we've been very pleased with what they've been doing. So we really don't have any panic on this side. We just want to make sure that Joyce is well.¡±
Joyce said it¡¯s frustrating to miss time with another injury, as he¡¯s had trouble staying healthy. He also missed 92 days with ulnar neuritis in his forearm in 2023, missing three months from early June to early September. He said he¡¯s not sure if he¡¯ll have to alter his routine in the future or why he¡¯s had trouble staying on the field.
¡°I don't know, I¡¯m trying to figure that out,¡± Joyce said. ¡°I feel like I treat my body very well and I feel like I do the right thing. So it's obviously frustrating just going down again. Just at the end of the day, I¡¯m just trying to learn as much as I can from these times and figure out a routine that can keep me on the field.¡±