As the team approached the Cactus League, the Angels’ bullpen was missing a reliable closer and didn’t have enough depth for the middle innings. Getting Robert Stephenson and Ben Joyce healthy was a major priority, and the club likely also needed to add another arm for the middle innings.
Two of those issues are currently being addressed and are expected to be resolved by Opening Day. Joyce is slightly behind schedule but is still projected to return early in the 2026 season.
Robert Stephenson is throwing 95 MPH in his bullpen session.
The signing of Stephenson hasn’t unfolded as expected. A series of injuries has kept him sidelined for much of his time with the Angels, and when he mentioned thoracic outlet syndrome upon arriving at camp, it initially seemed like his 2026 season might be in jeopardy before it even began.
However, Stephenson is now making encouraging progress and has been throwing regularly in the bullpen. Although he hasn’t yet pitched in a Cactus League game, he has been facing live hitters and is showing strong velocity. With just under three weeks remaining before Opening Day, there is still enough time for him to get into game shape.
Stephenson believes he’ll be ready to go. Even if he isn’t fully prepared by Opening Day, he likely wouldn’t be sidelined for more than a week or so. That development is very promising news for Angels fans.
Nick Sandlin is throwing live bullpens as well.
Probably not the name you were expecting, but Sandin is a very interesting addition to the Angels bullpen mix. The former Blue Jay and Guardian was signed to a minor league deal this off season after an injury ended his 2025 season after 16.1 innings.
Sandlin has struck out 10.4 batters per 9 innings across 211.2 Major League innings. He strikes out nearly two and a half batters for every one he walks and owns a very nice WHIP of 1.148 for his career.
If healthy, and he’s trending that way, Sandlin would be a really nice arm to slot into the Angels bullpen. The side armer’s sinker is rated as a plus pitch (60 on the 20-80 scale) and sits 93-95 MPH. He also has a really nice slider and splitter.
Ben Joyce is throwing regularly.
Ben Joyce has thrown multiple bullpen sessions. He’s still only throwing fastballs and change ups but he’s not reporting any discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder. The next step will be getting him to throw breaking balls. He’ll then progress to facing live hitters then game action.
Considering Joyce’s elite velocity and violent delivery the Angels are wise to ramp him up slowly. Based on normal camp time frames, Joyce appears to be about two to three weeks behind Stephenson and Sandlin.
Ultimately none of the three are locks for Opening Day but Stephenson an Sandlin are distinct possibilities. Even if they are a touch behind the rest of the team, the Angels bullpen could look significantly improved in early April and perhaps dominant when Joyce returns.
