Joyce struck out one and allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless eighth inning to record a hold in Thursday's loss to the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

Angels manager Ron Washington indicated last weekend that the right-hander would likely take over the closer role if the team traded Luis Garcia -- who had freshly stepped in for Carlos Estevez -- but Hunter Strickland received his second straight save chance Thursday after Garcia was dealt. Joyce is still viewed as the organization's closer of the future, but Washington doesn't quite feel the 23-year-old is ready for the job, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. Strickland will fill the role for now, but Joyce could soon force his way into the job given he hasn't allowed a run in 17 straight appearances.

Joyce is expected to operate as the Angels' closer after the trade of Luis Garcia on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Garcia was labeled the closer while Joyce was named the setup man and closer-in-waiting after the trade of Carlos Estevez over the weekend, and Garcia has now also been dealt. However, manager Ron Washington used Joyce in the eighth inning Tuesday while Hunter Strickland picked up the save, so it remains to be seen if the skipper sticks with the initial plan. Joyce still struggles to control his 101.8-mph fastball at times and has a 4.0 BB/9 this season, but that's an improvement from his first taste of the big leagues last year when he walked nine over 10 innings and had an 8.1 BB/9 at Triple-A. The right-hander has a 2.01 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB in 19 appearances this season.

Angels manager Ron Washington said Sunday that Joyce will work as the club's top setup man after the trade of Carlos Estevez, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Luis Garcia will step in as Anaheim's new closer, but he's also a candidate to be traded ahead Tuesday's deadline. If Garcia is dealt, Joyce will then be next in line for saves. The flame-throwing righty is averaging 101.8 mph on his fastball this season and has a 2.33 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 16:20 K:BB across 19.1 innings.

Joyce threw a fastball at 104.5 mph against the Mariners on Friday, the fastest pitch in the majors this season, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

EDGE Analysis

Joyce's velocity is well-known -- he's averaging a league-high 101.7 mph on his fastball in 2024. The fireballing righty hit a new level Friday, however, blazing the 104.5 mph offering (which was fouled off) in the seventh inning. Joyce's big arm was offset by control issues during his initial cup of coffee in the majors last year, as he struck out 10 batters but also walked nine over 10 innings. He's shown substantial improvement this season, posting a 13:6 K:BB through 15.1 frames. Joyce has been even better over the past month, tossing 13.1 consecutive scoreless innings during which he's yielded just four hits while posting a 12:5 K:BB.

Joyce allowed a hit and a walk over two shutout innings as the opener Sunday. He struck out three while the Angels lost to San Francisco.

EDGE Analysis

Joyce threw 22 of 42 pitches for strikes and also hit a batter during his appearance but managed to keep the Giants off the board. The Angels bullpen went on to allow 13 runs in six innings in the ugly loss. Joyce lowered his ERA to 7.94 with a 5:4 K:BB through 5.2 frames since being promoted from Double-A Rocket City earlier this month. He's thrown 3.2 scoreless innings over his last two outings.

Joyce is expected to operate as an opener for Sunday's matchup with the Giants, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

EDGE Analysis

Joyce will make his first career major-league start Sunday as the Angels will try to get two innings out of him before going to the bullpen. The right-hander has allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings in four appearances with Los Angeles this season. After Joyce serves as the opener, Jose Suarez and Carson Fulmer are considered candidates to handle the bulk role on the mound in the series finale with the Giants.

Joyce earned a hold by tossing a scoreless inning while allowing one hit against San Diego on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Joyce was called up from the minors Sunday and was deployed in a high-leverage situation in his first outing with the big club, getting the eighth inning with the Angels up one run. The fireballing reliever immediately got into trouble when Fernando Tatis led off the frame with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Joyce calmed down to retire the next three batters without Tatis advancing further. Joyce didn't notch any strikeouts, but he had his heater working in the outing, reaching 103.3 mph, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. The right-hander fanned 34 batters over 19 frames in the minors this season and could certainly be a big bullpen asset (and perhaps a future closer) in the majors if he learns to harness his control. In 10 innings with the Angels as a rookie last season, Joyce fanned 10 batters but also issued nine free passes.

Joyce was recalled from Double-A Rocket City on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Joyce was unable to earn place on the Halos' Opening Day roster but will join the MLB club early in June. He has a mediocre 4.26 ERA and 5.2 BB/9 at Rocket City this season but has been much better since early May, posting a 1.59 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB over his last 10 appearances and 11.1 innings.

The Angels optioned Joyce to Double-A Rocket City on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

The hard-throwing reliever held an 8.59 ERA and 6:9 K:BB over 7.1 innings this spring. Joyce could still be a key cog in the Angels' bullpen at some point this season, but he'll work on tightening things up in the minors first.

After yielding five earned runs and five walks over his initial 1.1 innings this spring, Joyce has since allowed two earned runs and two walks over his subsequent six frames.

EDGE Analysis

Joyce is expected to be part of the Angels' bullpen on Opening Day, but there may have been some initial doubt about his readiness after he struggled to harness his control in the early portions of Cactus League play. The flamethrower has since settled down, with his most recent outing being a scoreless one-inning appearance against the Cubs on Saturday. Joyce's improved results have coincided with a lowering of his strikeout rate -- over his past five frames, he's struck out a modest three batters. Though he consistently throws a triple-digit fastball, these results may suggest that the key to Joyce's success in the majors may be him learning how to use his impressive heater to generate poor contact rather than always relying on punching batters out.