Angels' Top Reliever Suffers Lengthy Setback Before Orioles Game

On Friday, the Halos announced that RHP Ben Joyce was placed on the 60-day injured list (retroactive to May 8). This comes after Joyce recently underwent surgery — considered a minor procedure by the club — to alleviate inflammation in his throwing shoulder.

The 24-year-old from Knoxville, Tennessee is a certified fireballer. Last season, Joyce routinely lit up radar guns for triple-digit values, reaching 105.5 MPH in a contest versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Overall, he managed a 2.08 ERA throughout 31 appearances in 2024, surrendering only 0.26 home runs per nine innings.

At this time, the Angels are quite desperate for Joyce's talent. When looking at the entire pitching staff, LAA has posted a 4.40 skill-interactive ERA per FanGraphs—third worst in MLB.

More precisely, the Halos' bullpen has been abysmal in 2025. Entering Friday, Angels relief pitchers are tagged with a collective 7.15 ERA, which is the bottom clip amongst all American League clubs. Additionally, their 25 homers allowed are the most in the majors.

On the subject, Washington told the media, "When [Joyce] went down, it affected us, and we're still trying to find our footing in the bullpen. He's an impact-type pitcher. He was the kind of guy we could use to finish an inning, give us another inning, and we miss that."

The Orioles and Angels will get underway Friday night in Anaheim at 9:38 p.m. ET; probable pitchers are Tomoyuki Sugano and Kyle Hendricks.