Ward was raised in Central Florida before moving to Indio, California, where he attended Shadow Hills High School and emerged as a notable baseball prospect as a catcher.

[1] In 2009, Ward's family moved to the Coachella Valley in Southern California, where he enrolled at the newly-opened Shadow Hills High School in Indio for his sophomore year.

In his junior season, he was named the De Anza League MVP and Offensive Player of the Year while also earning First Team honors in the California Interscholastic Federation's Southern Section.

In his senior season, he caught for eventual MLB pitcher Tyson Miller, forming the team's top battery.

Ward committed to play college baseball for California State University, Fresno, becoming the first student in Shadow Hills history to receive an athletic scholarship from an NCAA Division I school.

[2] He was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 31st round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign with the team, moving forward with his plans to attend college.

[4] In 2013, his freshman season, Ward's Bulldogs teammates included eventual major leaguers Aaron Judge, Jordan Luplow, and Austin Wynns.

[7] In 2014, during his sophomore season, Ward earned two Mountain West Conference Player of the Week selections, first on February 24 and later on March 3.

[16] Ward made his professional debut with the Rookie Advanced-level Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League, going 0-for-4 against the Ogden Raptors in his first game on June 18, 2015.

In September, the Angels gave him his longest stint of the year with the major league club to replace an injured Justin Upton in left field.

On August 18, the Angels optioned Ward to the alternate training site being used in lieu of the cancelled minor league season.

On June 17, Ward hit his first career grand slam, coming off Kyle Funkhouser in the 7th inning of a 7–5 win over the Detroit Tigers.

[29] On April 25, Ward hit two home runs and provided all the offense in his first multi-homer game, a 3–0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

[30] On April 27, later in the same series against Cleveland, Ward went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, his second career grand slam, and a triple, falling a single shy from hitting for the cycle in the 9–5 victory.

[37] Between the collision and the end of July, Ward batted .217 with a .610 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), a decrease from his pre-injury numbers.

[38][39] In late August, Ward did not make the Angels' trip for a series against the Toronto Blue Jays because of a Canadian travel ban against foreign nationals who had not received a COVID-19 vaccine.

[26] His .281 batting average and .360 OBP was the highest among qualified Angels batters, and his 3.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) was third-most on the team.

[43] During a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 28, 2023, Ward took a pitch to the head, suffering multiple facial fractures.

[46] By spring training ahead of the 2024 season, Ward had fully recovered from his injury and began playing again, using an extended flap on his batting helmet to protect his face.

[46] Following the departure of Shohei Ohtani in free agency and injuries to Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, Ward became one of the top run-producers in the Angels lineup.

Through late May, he drove in a team-best 32 runs but told The Orange County Register that he likes having other batters ahead of him in the lineup to "take the microscope off" him.

[47] On May 28, Ward hit a go-ahead two-run double off of New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes in the 8th inning to lead the Angels to a comeback victory.

[49] On June 30, Detroit Tigers pitcher Shelby Miller hit Ward in the helmet with a fastball at 93 miles per hour (150 km/h).

In 2021, Angels manager Joe Maddon criticized the approach, suggesting that an overemphasis on contact angle was decreasing Ward's productivity.