The Los Angeles Angels got the kind of news no team wants to hear, especially this early in the season.

The Angels suffered a major loss Friday when they placed hard-throwing right-hander Ben Joyce on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder.

The move is retroactive to Wednesday, when Joyce experienced some decreased velocity on his fastball during his appearance against the Tampa Bay Rays.

"We don't have any idea the length, but we're certainly going to back off him and let him rest and we'll know more as we continue to see where it goes," Angels manager Ron Washington said.

"It's a big blow to lose him," Washington said of Joyce, who is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in five appearances this season.

The Angels called up right-handed pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks from Triple-A Salt Lake to fill Joyce's roster spot.