LA Angels News: More bullpen shuffling; Key injury updates that aren't all good news

Trying to figure out who is and is not currently a member of the Angels' bullpen is starting to feel more and more like a daily puzzle. The bullpen, which as of May 5th sports the worst ERA in baseball with a nauseating 7.02 mark, has been dealt another injury, necessitating yet another wave of fresh arms arriving from the minors.

Lefty Rule 5 pick, Garrett McDaniels, has landed on the 15-day injured list with biceps tendonitis. The 25-year-old rookie has struggled to find his footing after making the leap from the lower minors to the show, issuing more walks (8) than strikeouts (6) en route to a 5.91 ERA over 10.2 innings of work. Now he'll be on the shelf for the next several weeks.

Also leaving the ranks of the big league pen is 26-year-old southpaw Jake Eder. Eder's tenure lasted just over a week, in which time he struggled to the tune of a 7.71 ERA across three appearances. Replacing the departing lefties are a couple of familiar faces.

Michael Darrell-Hicks returns for his third stint with the big league club, already on the young season. Joining him is former Angel Touki Toussaint, who last pitched for the team back in 2022 when he logged 25.1 innings with a 4.62 ERA. Now returning for his second stint in Anaheim, the 28-year-old righty is every bit the journeyman with a 5.42 ERA in his eight-year career.

The Angels get concerning news about star setup man Ben Joyce

When Ben Joyce went on the IL with shoulder inflammation back on April 12th, the organization began to hold their collective breath. The 24-year-old fireballer often defies the laws of physics, comfortably sitting in the triple digits with his fastball and even exceeding 105 miles per hour.

Unfortunately, human arms aren't supposed to hurl projectiles that fast, and injury concerns have plagued him throughout his young career. The Angels handled him with extreme care last season, only letting him pitch on back-to-back days just three times.

This season, they were determined to lean on him more, and his absence has highlighted the pen's lack of depth. The latest update regarding his injury makes it seem like he won't be back in the fold anytime soon.

Speaking with reporters late last week, Joyce admitted that he's seen little progress in his road to recovery, saying the following:

"I'd say it's feeling a little better, I don't know. It's kind of the same as it has been, but it's obviously less sore not throwing in games and stuff. But the same as it has been."

Ben Joyce via Andres Soto of MLB.com

Joyce stated he only played catch "once or twice," yet felt pain and shut it down. He's hoping to start throwing again soon, as early as this week, but until that happens, the process will be slow going.

With the timetable for his return carrying so much uncertainty, expect to see a lot more shuffling of relievers back and forth between the majors and minors, and the Angels' search for answers in his stead.

The Angels' lineup will be getting one key cog back soon, while another's return might not be as quick as originally hoped

You'd be forgiven if you forgot that Yoan Moncada was a member of the Los Angeles Angels. The former top-prospect-turned-average-regular dealt with a mysterious thumb injury towards the later stages of spring training, and played just eight games before succumbing again to the same ailment.

In that small sample, Moncada's performance was a mixed bag. He hit just .190 with just two extra-base hits and no homers, but he got on base at a .370 clip, buoyed by an impressive but unsustainable 22.2% walk rate.

Still, Moncada has typically drawn walks at an above-average rate, posting a 9.8% mark for his career. For a team that ranks dead last in walk rate, that patience will be a welcome addition, as Moncada has started his rehab assignment and should be rejoining the ranks soon.

In addition, the switch-hitting third baseman will add some balance to a right-handed-heavy lineup, which was dealt a serious blow with Mike Trout landing on the injured list.

In a situation that went from him being pulled from April 30th's matchup against the Seattle Mariners out of an abundance of caution, to Trout hoping to play the following day yet landing on the IL instead, things have only gotten murkier.

Trout, ever the competitor, hopes not to miss significant time, however, not all seem to share that sentiment. Speaking to the media on May 4th, general manager Perry Minasian expressed uncertainty.

The injury, a bone bruise, doesn't seem too severe, but given that this is Trout and the injury occurred to the same knee he had surgically repaired last season, he won't be out of the woods until he is, and that will take however long it takes.

That's not a great answer for the status of the team's most important player, but given history, it should surprise no one.

With all the injuries and corresponding roster moves, one can only hope the Halos can find their groove again fast, before the season completely gets derailed. The rollercoaster ride they've put fans on so far can make it hard to believe that it's still just early May, yet here we are.

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