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Ben Joyce takes a step toward a return to Angels’ bullpen

April 14, 2026

NEW YORK — A night after the Angels blew a ninth-inning lead in a crushing loss, they got some good news on a pitcher who figures to be a key piece of their bullpen.

Right-hander Ben Joyce faced hitters in Arizona, the first time he’s done that since having shoulder surgery last year. Generally, pitchers do that one or two times before pitching in minor league games. It’s still unclear how many minor league games the Angels want to see from Joyce before activating him.

Manager Kurt Suzuki said he didn’t hear anything about Joyce’s workout on Tuesday, which he took as a good sign.

“I assume he feels good if we didn’t hear anything,” Suzuki said. “I don’t want to know how hard he’s throwing because I’ll be like ‘bring him here, please!’”

Right-hander Kirby Yates, another piece of the Angels’ late-inning relief corps, was set to throw another bullpen session at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga before getting into a game, Suzuki said. Yates is on the injured list because of left knee inflammation.

“I think he wanted one more to kind of touch up before he gets out there,” Suzuki said. “It’s more of a state-of-mind thing, to make sure he’s fully ready before he gets out there. When he gets out there, he’s not going to be that far off, so that’s encouraging.”

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who was projected to be a part of the starting rotation, threw a bullpen session on Tuesday in New York. It was his second session during this trip.

Although Rodriguez is progressing, the Angels aren’t going to push him.

When asked if Rodriguez would have to build up all over again, as if it were early in spring training, Suzuki said: “Potentially. We’ve got to see where he comes out of it. … When he throws to hitters will dictate how much time he really needs.”

Right-hander Ryan Johnson, who felt a tweak in his hamstring two pitches into an outing in Arizona on Monday, was still being evaluated on Tuesday.

“He said it wasn’t as bad, so we’ll see how it goes in the couple days,” Suzuki said.

TOO MUCH REST?

Left-hander Drew Pomeranz hadn’t pitched in seven days before he gave up a three-run homer on Sunday. Right-hander Jordan Romano hadn’t pitched in six days before giving up three runs to blow the lead on Monday.

Given those instances, Suzuki was asked on Tuesday if he would look to keep those pitchers from extended breaks going forward.

“Yes and no, if that makes any sense,” Suzuki said. “Obviously, we’d like to not overuse them, but we’d like to not have them have such a long layoff where they’re kind of rusty.”

Suzuki pointed out that you can get burned by that too, if a pitcher comes in for a mop-up inning to stay fresh, and is subsequently unavailable for a later game. Also, Romano turns 33 next week and Pomeranz is 37.

“We want to take care of these guys and make sure that we have them for the whole year, instead of worrying about the first month,” Suzuki said. “I’m not saying these games don’t matter. Everything matters. But understanding where they are in their careers, their age and stuff like that, you try to do your best to take care of these guys.”

LOWE IMPROVING

Buried deep within Monday’s slugfest were two notable plate appearances from Josh Lowe. He fell behind, 0-and-2, before working an 11-pitch walk with two outs in the fourth, extending the inning for the Angels to score three more runs to tie the game. He was also behind 0-and-2 before hitting a sacrifice fly to tie the score in the seventh.

Lowe is still hitting .122 with a .522 OPS. Besides Monday’s quality plate appearances, he also homered and had two hits on Friday. He didn’t start on Saturday or Sunday.

“I feel like in Cincinnati, I made some adjustments before that kind of locked me in,” Lowe said. “I was just in a really good position to hit. It helps bring back that confidence that you need when you walk into the box. I felt really comfortable. I feel like I made a step in the right direction.”

NOTES

Jorge Soler said, via an interpreter, that he is “still waiting” and “doesn’t have an idea” when there will be a hearing regarding the appeal of his seven-game suspension. It’s also possible there could be a decision without a hearing, if Soler and his agent agree to some sort of settlement with Major League Baseball. Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López, who was also suspended for seven games, quickly agreed to drop his appeal and settle for a five-game suspension. …

First baseman Nolan Schanuel was out of the lineup against a lefty starter on Tuesday. Schanuel played essentially everyday last year, but this season he’s been benched for three of the Angels’ five games against lefties. “We’ve got 13 straight (games without an off day), give him a blow,” Suzuki said. “He’s been grinding hard. He’s been having good at-bats. He’s encouraged by it.” Suzuki said he talked to Schanuel on Monday night about the off day. Although Schanuel “wanted to play,” he nonetheless “agreed” with the day off. …

The Angels called up left-hander Sam Aldegheri and optioned left-hander Mitch Farris, getting a fresh arm for a bullpen depleted after Monday’s game.

UP NEXT

Angels (TBD) at Yankees (RHP Luis Gil, 0-1, 6.75), Wednesday, 4:05 p.m. PT, FanDuel Sports Network, 830 AM

Orange County Register

News Details

Ben Joyce takes a step toward a return to Angels’ bullpen

TOO MUCH REST?

LOWE IMPROVING

NOTES

UP NEXT

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