TAMPA, Fla. — A day after Ben Joyce endured a rough night, he said that’s all it was.
Although Joyce’s average velocity was a career low on both his four-seamer and sinker on Tuesday night, he said on Wednesday that there’s nothing physically wrong with him.
“It was fine,” he said. “Just didn’t have my best stuff. Obviously, it sucks to give up runs like that, but the guys picked me up. Today’s a new day.”
Joyce entered in the seventh inning with a 2-0 lead and he gave up hits to the first four hitters he faced, including three extra-base hits. By the time he came out, the Angels were down 3-2.
His average four-seamer was 99.3 mph, and his average sinker was 93.6 mph. In both cases, those are about 2 mph below his average.
Joyce said the location was more of a problem than the velocity.
“I was leaving the sinkers up and the four-seamers down,” he said. “Just kind of the opposite of what I want to do.”
Joyce had Tommy John surgery in college in 2020. He also missed time during his rookie season, in 2023, because of nerve irritation.
RENGIFO, ADELL SIT
Infielder Luis Rengifo and center fielder Jo Adell were out of the lineup on Wednesday. Manager Ron Washington said both players looked sluggish on Tuesday.
Rengifo jogged down the line on a ground ball in the sixth inning. First baseman Jonathan Aranda mishandled the throw, but was still able to pick it up and retire Rengifo because he was wasn’t running hard.
Rengifo, who has dealt with hamstring issues since spring training, said on Wednesday that he’s fine.
“He felt like he was out,” Washington said. “That’s unacceptable. He was trying to conserve energy, and we don’t want him conserving energy. We want him expressing all the energy he has every day between those lines. He just brain farted.”
For what it’s worth, Rengifo subsequently drove in the go-ahead run with a ninth-inning single.
Adell also didn’t seem to be running at full speed on a grounder that was mishandled in the fifth again. He was also still out.
“He’s been running around in center field, someplace he hasn’t been, and he’s beginning to find out there’s a fatigue factor going on out there,” Washington said. “I just see his movement last night a little slow. So I just wanted to give him a day.”
NETO UPDATE
Shortstop Zach Neto, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, was not in the lineup on Wednesday at Triple-A.
“He’s been grinding hard and he feels it a little bit in his body,” Washington said, “and we don’t want something else to go wrong with his body when he starts feeling it. So when he told us he started feeling a little fatigued, we’ve got to give him a break.”
Washington said Neto needs to play nine innings at shortstop on back-to-back days before they can bring him up to the majors. So far the most he’s played is seven innings, and he hasn’t played consecutive games in the field. Washington has been clear that he doesn’t want Neto to be activated until he can play every day, without needing breaks.
There is a 20-day limit on a rehab assignment for a position player, and it’s looking increasingly like the Angels could use all of that time with Neto. That would have him playing in the minors through April 20. At that point, the Angels would need to activate him or option him, if they still feel he’s not ready.
NOTES
Third baseman Yoán Moncada returned to the lineup on Wednesday. He had been out since Friday because of thumb irritation. …
Third baseman Cole Fontenelle hit for the cycle at Double-A on Tuesday night.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Jose Soriano, 1-1, 3.65 ERA) at Rays (RHP Zack Littell, 0-2, 4.15 ERA), Thursday, 10:10 a.m. PT, FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM
Originally Published:
