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Sep 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (24) pitches in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Angels Receive Good News on the Injury Front

Originally posted on Los Angeles Angels on SI
By Jeff Joiner | Last updated Mar 9, 2026 10:30 AM ET

Heading into the Cactus League the Angels bullpen lacked an anchor at the back end. It also lacked depth in the middle innings. The team really needed Robert Stephenson and Ben Joyce to get healthy and probably needed to an an arm in the middle innings.

Two of those things are in progress and should happen by Opening Day. Joyce is a littel behind schedule but is also on track to return early in the 2026 season.

Robert Stephenson is throwing 95 MPH in his bullpen session.

The signing of Stephenson has not gone according to plan. Multiple injuries have made Stephenson unavailable for most of his Angels tenure and his talk of thoracic outlet syndrome when he arrived at camp seemed to doom 2026 before it even started.

Turns out, Stephenson is progressing nicely and throwing regularly in the bullpen. He has yet to appear in a Cactus League game but he is facing live hitters and showing plenty of velocity. With a hair under three weeks to go until Opening Day there is time for Stephenson to get in game shape.

He says he'll be ready. If he isn't, he won't miss more than a week or so. This is huge news for Angels fans.

Robert Stephenson facing hitters for the first time this spring. Bryce Teodosio is at the plate. Fastball velo around 94-95 mph. pic.twitter.com/as5zjWcAYw
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) March 6, 2026

Nick Sandlin is throwing live bullpens as well.

Probably not the name you were expecting, but Sandin is a very interesting addition to the Angels bullpen mix. The former Blue Jay and Guardian was signed to a minor league deal this off season after an injury ended his 2025 season after 16.1 innings.

Sandlin has struck out 10.4 batters per 9 innings across 211.2 Major League innings. He strikes out nearly two and a half batters for every one he walks and owns a very nice WHIP of 1.148 for his career.

If healthy, and he's trending that way, Sandlin would be a really nice arm to slot into the Angels bullpen. The side armer's sinker is rated as a plus pitch (60 on the 20-80 scale) and sits 93-95 MPH. He also has a really nice slider and splitter.

Nick Sandlin is facing hitters today, for the first time this spring. He had arthroscopic elbow surgery in the fall. If he’s healthy he has a good chance of making the team. pic.twitter.com/JMjWXPA0Of
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) March 7, 2026

Ben Joyce is throwing regularly.

Ben Joyce has thrown multiple bullpen sessions. He's still only throwing fastballs and change ups but he's not reporting any discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder. The next step will be getting him to throw breaking balls. He'll then progress to facing live hitters then game action.

Considering Joyce's elite velocity and violent delivery the Angels are wise to ramp him up slowly. Based on normal camp time frames, Joyce appears to be about two to three weeks behind Stephenson and Sandlin.

Ultimately none of the three are locks for Opening Day but Stephenson an Sandlin are distinct possibilities. Even if they are a touch behind the rest of the team, the Angels bullpen could look significantly improved in early April and perhaps dominant when Joyce returns.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Angels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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