The Los Angeles Angels need bullpen help, and Ben Joyce and Kirby Yates are both getting close to returning.
The Los Angeles Angels need bullpen help right now, and they need it bad. All you have to do is watch the interactions between manager Kurt Suzuki and pitching coach Mike Maddux when pitchers start fading to see that every night is an adventure with the ‘pen as it’s currently constructed. When this bullpen breaks bad, it breaks really bad.
Ben Joyce could be the answer to this, and the right-handed reliever could be back soon, according to a piece written by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Joyce has been throwing bullpens back in Arizona at the Angels’ spring training facility, but on Tuesday he started throwing to live hitters.
Joyce has gotten his fastball up into Mason Miller country at 105.5 mph, and he’s making steady progress toward a rehab assignment, according to manager Kurt Suzuki, although Suzuki did say that he didn’t want a full report about Joyce.
“I don’t want to know how hard he was throwing because then I’d want him here,” Suzuki said with a laugh. “He threw today. If you look at Ben and know Ben, he’s a beast. I’m sure he feels good if I didn’t hear anything.”
Joyce experienced a breakout year in 2024, posting a 2.08 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings, including a 0.83 ERA. He started to develop into a reliable closer, with four saves in his final 28 appearances, but shoulder surgery last May derailed the development of the 25-year old hurler, according to Bollinger.
Joyce was encouraged by his progress in spring training, and he could even step into the closer role if the current occupant, Jordan Romano, turns into a placeholder. Reliever Kirby Yates is also closing in on a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, but he will throw one more bullpen before he appears in a game. Yates faced live hitters on April 7 at Angel Stadium, but he hasn’t been activated.
“He wanted one more bullpen to kind of touch up before he gets out there just as more of a peace-of-mind type of thing,” Suzuki said. “Make sure he's fully ready before he gets out there. But when he gets out there, he's not going to be that far off.”
The Angels need both of them. They’re still doing live auditions for the fifth starter spot, and when those go sideways the bullpen gets overextended in a big way. Romano blew up in Monday night’s loss to the New York Yankees, but before that he had a nice stretch of games where he was reliable and performed well.