Surgery is likely to end season for Angels lefty
Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson held up his left arm and tried to bend it. It didn’t bend much. Then he tried to straighten it. It didn’t straighten much.
He had reached the point, he said, where he no longer could pitch this season. An MRI revealed bone spurs on all sides of his elbow. Barring a different opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache or Dr. James Andrews, Wilson said he’ll require surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Wilson said an MRI earlier this year showed bone spurs, and he pitched through the condition for the entire season. But he kept losing range of motion.
“There’s nothing much I can really do,” Wilson said. “I don’t have a good knuckleball.”
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said it was obvious from Wilson’s four-inning, six-run start on Tuesday that he was struggling with the elbow.
He said if the surgery is “the direction that he goes, then obviously there’s a need for C.J. to contemplate whatever his options are.”
The loss of Wilson should not jolt the Angels significantly. Righthander Jered Weaver is expected to return from a hip injury next week. The team should need a replacement starter only once, today.
“I think our rotation is still going to be intact,” Scioscia said. “I think it will still be as strong as it was in the first half.”
The injury will make it difficult to trade Wilson this winter, which is believed to be the Angels’ intent. The Angels have promising young pitchers in Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Hector Santiago and Nick Tropeano. Tyler Skaggs will return from Tommy John surgery next year, and Weaver will be back.
A healthy Wilson, a consistent veteran left-hander, would’ve been a valuable trade chip.
Wilson has dealt with bone spurs for much of his career. He had similar surgeries in 2008 and 2012 and recovered well. In 2013, he went 17-7 with a 3.39 ERA.
He said doctors ruled out a return to the bullpen later this season.
“You just run out of gas and the tank’s empty,” Wilson said. “In this case, there’s no more elbow left to expire.”
DEVELOPMENTS
Pirates welcome Happ: Left-hander J.A. Happ joined the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday and threw in the bullpen, getting ready to join a rotation that will need him for at least a few weeks.
The Pirates optioned left-hander Bobby LaFromboise back to TripleA Indianapolis on Saturday to open a roster spot for Happ, who was acquired from Seattle in a trade the previous day. The 32-year-old starter arrived from Minnesota, where the Mariners are playing over the weekend.
White Sox outfielder on DL: The Chicago White Sox placed outfielder J.B. Shuck on the 15-day disabled list Saturday for a strained left hamstring and recalled right-handed pitcher Scott Carroll from Triple-A Charlotte.
Shuck was hitting .278 with 11 RBIs in 54 games. He was injured Friday when he scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning of Chicago’s 13-6 loss to the New York Yankees.
Carroll went 1-1 with a 3.28 ERA in 12 relief appearances in two stints with the White Sox this season. He was 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 51¥ innings in Triple-A.
Boston CEO stepping down: Larry Lucchino is stepping down this year as the Boston Red Sox president and CEO.
Team spokesman Kevin Gregg said in an email that Lucchino hopes to remain with the club in some capacity. Gregg said Sam Kennedy, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Red Sox, is Lucchino’s choice to take over as president.
Lucchino, who turns 70 next year, was part of the ownership group that purchased the Red Sox in 2002.