MLB.com is reporting Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson has decided he won’t be able to pitch again this season and is looking to have surgery on his elbow.
After going to team manager Mike Scioscia with the news, the team officially diagnosed Wilson with “left elbow impingement secondary to arthritis,” which he’ll seek a second opinion from renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
“There’s no gray area,” Wilson told MLB.com. “You just run out of gas and then the tank’s empty, and in this case, there’s just no more elbow left to expire. The elbow is totally ground down at this point. I just have to get it cleaned out, rehab and I’ll be fine again.”
While you’d think having a pitcher openly lobby he can’t pitch would be an indicator of what’s really going on, apparently Wilson’s Angel teammates aren’t happy with his decision to try to shut it down. The same report states “Privately, though, several Angels players expressed frustration in Wilson’s decision, with some believing he should’ve continued to try to pitch through the issue.”
For what it’s worth, Wilson said he hasn’t heard any rumblings from teammates telling the Los Angeles Times “Nobody said anything to me, so as far as I know — obviously I don’t put a lot of stock into anonymous reports.” He also said he doesn’t want to be the guy who’s complaining all the time and that he doesn’t want to “come in with a Band-Aid and say, ‘Hey, everybody, feel bad for me, I got my elbow drained yesterday.'”
It’s another bizarre story from the Angels. They were knee deep in the Josh Hamilton saga this year which made the clubs ownership look like a bunch of selfish pricks. If Wilson says he can’t pitch and doesn’t want to risk his career by doing so, than the team and his teammates should respect his wishes and allow him to get the surgery he needs. He’s still got one-year left on his deal worth $20 million, so it’s not like he’s going anywhere.
Either way, the Angels don’t need another PR mess on their hand, and if they want to respect Wilson’s career they need to shut him down. Otherwise this situation has the potential to get a lot messier.
