Angels could finally escape exhausting bullpen trend thanks to Ben Joyce

The ninth inning has been nothing but inconsistent for the Los Angeles Angels this season. They have blown over 50% of save opportunities this season, and their 4.52 ERA in the ninth ranks 20th in MLB this season.

Los Angeles has also had a revolving door in the ninth, with three players leading in save opportunities. Jordan Romano, Kirby Yates, and Ryan Zeferjahn each had six save opportunities this season to lead the team, and Sam Bachman is next on the team with four.

Halo's fans will look at those four names and realize: three of them aren't on the Angels anymore. Yates and Zeferjahn were both dealt at the deadline, and Romano was DFA'd and then released back in April. To add to that, Bachman hit the 15-day IL on August 5.

Los Angeles might finally have the man to lock down the ninth back after almost two seasons in Ben Joyce

The inconsistency of the ninth inning looks to have finally ended. On August 4, the day after the trade deadline, L.A. activated Ben Joyce off the injured list. Joyce took the MLB by storm after he made his MLB debut in 2023 with elite extension and a fastball that averaged 100.9 mph. His biggest problem was that he couldn't control it.

Joyce came back in 2024 after starting the season in Triple-A, and all of a sudden, the command issues that plagued him weren't as bad, and his fastball had ticked up to a 102.1 average. He pitched to a 2.08 ERA in 34.1 innings in 2024, before inflammation in his throwing shoulder shut him down for the season at the start of September. He showed a lot of promise, though, and looked like the man to lock down the ninth for years to come.

2025 didn't go as well for the then-23-year-old. After he struggled through five games, he was once again shut down with shoulder inflammation and eventually got surgery to repair a torn labrum. He would miss the rest of 2025. In 2026, Joyce started a rehab assignment in late April, but he wasn't recovering as well as they had hoped, and he was shut back down until July, when he did another rehab assignment.

The now 25-year-old flamethrower is now back and performing better than ever. Through his first six appearances, he's allowed one hit, one walk, and struck out eight without allowing a run. He's three for three in the saves category too. His fastball velocity is still sitting in the high 101s, and he's gotten whiffs on 2/3 of the sinkers he's thrown too.

It's still a small sample for Joyce, whose biggest goal for the rest of the season should be to stay healthy and be ready for 2027, but he hasn't shown this level of dominance in his career. The Angels had a strong deadline and have a young core to look forward to. Having a healthy Joyce to add to that will add to the optimism Halo's fans should be feeling about the future.

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