Ben Joyce moves rehab to Triple-A Salt Lake, nears Angels return
Ben Joyce's rehab jumped to Triple-A Salt Lake, his closest stop yet to an Angels bullpen return after shoulder surgery.
The Angels moved Ben Joyce’s rehab to Triple-A Salt Lake, putting the hard-throwing right-hander one step from the major league bullpen after shoulder surgery. For Joyce, the assignment is more than another checkbox in recovery. It moves him from Single-A hitters to the most advanced level of the minors before Anaheim can consider bringing him back.
Joyce’s path back has built in stages. MLB.com reported on April 14 that he threw to hitters for the first time since the surgery, a key marker that he had advanced beyond flat-ground work and into live preparation. On May 3, Joyce struck out two in a rehab appearance with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, showing the Angels that his stuff was not only returning but still capable of missing bats in game action.
The next step came on June 10, when Joyce was sent to Rancho Cucamonga to resume a rehab assignment after being pulled off an earlier stint. That kept him in the lower levels of the system while the club continued to monitor how his shoulder responded to workload. The move to Salt Lake now raises the competition level significantly, with Triple-A pitchers and hitters offering the closest minor league test before a return to the big league roster.
Salt Lake also publicly highlighted the assignment, underscoring that the Angels’ relief pitcher had reached Utah for the next phase of the comeback. Triple-A is typically where a pitcher shows he can handle sharper lineups, longer outings and more demanding game situations without any setbacks. For Joyce, that is the practical hurdle that remains: prove the shoulder can hold up against better hitters and heavier usage, then clear the final lane back to the Angels’ bullpen.
Joyce has been one of the organization’s most closely watched power arms because of the role he can fill once healthy. The latest move does not put him on the active major league roster yet, but it does place him at the doorstep. After the work at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and the live batting-practice milestone in April, Triple-A Salt Lake is the clearest sign yet that the Angels are testing the last stage of his return.
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