Angels’ Weaver out 4-6 weeks
Jered Weaver might not throw with his left arm, but he can’t pitch if it’s broken.
The Los Angeles Angels put their ace right-hander on the disabled list Tuesday with a broken left elbow.
“I didn’t really know how to take the news,” Weaver told news reporters. “It kind of was a shock at first.”
Weaver, who went 20-5 with a 2.81 ERA last season, was injured Sunday when he landed awkwardly while trying to avoid a line drive by the Texas Rangers’ Mitch Moreland.
The Angels initially thought Weaver had strained his elbow.
But Weaver felt abnormal pain after the game, and an MRI scan Monday surprisingly revealed a fracture that is expected to sideline him for four to six weeks.
“It’s extremely difficult to lose your ace, and Jered has been that for a long time here,” Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “He’s a pivotal player for us. I feel like in some way the silver lining is it was his left arm, and there’s more of a short-term definition to the injury than long term.
“It’s not as if we just found out he was out for the year or something along those lines. It’s his left arm, and that’s the positive here.”
But Weaver’s extended absence does represent a major blow for the Angels, who were widely considered preseason favorites to win the American League West after signing free agent Josh Hamilton but still have plenty of questions regarding their pitching staff.
Los Angeles went into Tuesday’s game against the defending division champion Oakland Athletics with a 2-4 record and a rotation ERA of 4.54, tied for 10th in the league.
Right-hander Garrett Richards will replace Weaver in the rotation and start Saturday vs. the Houston Astros. A first-round pick in 2009, Richards is 3-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 12 career starts and has a 2.08 ERA in 41⁄3 innings out of the bullpen this season. He moves in behind starters C.J. Wilson, Tommy Hanson, Jason Vargas and Joe Blanton.
“Garrett is coming off a terrific spring, and he’s throwing the ball extremely well,” Dipoto said. “I don’t know that anybody deserved the opportunity more than Garrett, and hopefully he can take the opportunity and run with it.”
Weaver, a three-time All-Star who threw a no-hitter in May, averaged nearly 17 wins and 215 innings over the last four seasons.
Wearing a blue sling while his teammates took batting practice Tuesday, he said this was the first time he had suffered a broken bone. “I like to tell myself everything happens for a reason,” Weaver said. “I’m still trying to find the reason for this.”
The Angels called up right-hander Dane De La Rosa from Class AAA Salt Lake to replace Weaver on the roster. De La Rosa was acquired in a trade last month from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-hander Steven Geltz.