C.J. Wilson likely done for season with elbow impingement, surgery required
The Los Angeles Angels may be without left-hander C.J. Wilson for the rest of the 2015 season.
On Saturday, the ball club announced that Wilson is dealing with a left elbow impingement, which is “secondary to arthritis.” The 34-year-old veteran later added that he’ll require surgery to clean out a bone spur, which would put the remainder of his season in serious doubt.
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After having perhaps his worst season in the big leagues in 2014, Wilson had bounced back nicely this season. Over 21 starts, he’s posted a 3.89 ERA and 110/46 K/BB and has seemingly done a much better job keeping the Angels in games into the later innings.
He also seemed to be as close to 100 percent healthy as can be expected. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, as Shaikin reports the spurs have been an issue for several months.
If there’s a potential silver lining here, it’s that Wilson has come back from similar surgery twice before during his career. He first had the surgery for the same issue late in 2008, and then again following the 2012 season. Wilson came back strong in 2013, pitching 212 1/3 good innings while posting a 3.39 ERA. That was Wilson’s second season with the Angels. This is fourth, and he’s due to return for one more at $20 million.
The Angels, of course, are focused on this season. They’re currently locked in a terrific battle with the Houston Astros in the AL West, and they could use all the help they can good. The good news is staff ace Jered Weaver is set to return soon from a hip injury. With Garrett Richards healthy and Andrew Heaney also in the mix, they have much better depth in the rotation all around.
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Matt Shoemaker and Hector Santiango, who were a big part of the Angels success in 2014, round out the rotation.
The Angels could also look to add a starter in August. Despite the non-waiver trade deadline passing on Friday, teams can still work on deals. We doubt the Angels would aim high, but some added depth wouldn’t hurt. That decision will fall on Bill Stoneman, who’s making the decisions in wake of Jerry Dipoto’s resignation, and the decision will likely be influenced by the Angels performance these next couple weeks.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
