| Year | G | IP | ERA | K | BB | SV | WHIP | K/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 25 | 27.1 | 3.29 | 31 | 14 | 3 | 1.35 | 10.2 |
| 2024 | 44 | 46.0 | 2.93 | 48 | 21 | 6 | 1.17 | 9.4 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4.0 | 2.25 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1.00 | 11.3 |
| 2026 ST | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Triple-Digit Velocity. Throwing Clean. The Timeline Is Moving.
Ben Joyce throws the ball harder than almost anyone in baseball. A 105+ mph fastball out of the bullpen is not a pitch hitters are comfortable with — it is a pitch that ends at-bats. His 2024 season (2.93 ERA, 44 appearances) showed exactly what he is when healthy: a legitimate ninth-inning arm who changes the dynamic of a late-inning game.
He had labrum surgery last May. The recovery was slow enough through the fall that Opening Day availability was genuinely in doubt. What has happened in spring training camp is the best-case version of where that recovery could be: he is throwing without issue, has not been placed on the 60-day IL, and Kurt Suzuki has confirmed he is progressing normally. The Angels haven't committed to him being ready March 26th — he may start the year on the IL — but the expectation has shifted from "summer" to "not long."
The shoulder surgery is a serious injury and the comeback still needs to be managed without shortcuts. Pitchers who have thrown 105 mph put extraordinary stress on their arm. The Angels cannot panic-rush him in April because the bullpen is leaking. Let him build up correctly, confirm the velocity is back, confirm the command is back, and then use him in situations that matter.
The direction of this story has improved considerably from where it was in October. That is worth acknowledging.