This is hardly the way Josh Hamilton wanted — or needed — to begin the 2015 season. The Angels outfielder requires surgery to repair the A/C joint in his right shoulder. That will keep him out six to eight weeks, putting him in doubt to be ready for opening day.
According to the Angels, symptoms of the injury didn’t surface until this week, which is why the problem wasn’t addressed during the offseason. Yet this also sounds like something that could be a lingering issue for the 33-year-old Hamilton.
Josh has some arthritis in R shoulder. Surgery will shave down bone and “try to create some relief,” Dipoto said. #Angels
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) February 4, 2015
MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez added that Hamilton’s labrum and rotator cuff are not problematic. The team hoped rest and strengthening exercises would alleviate the symptoms he was experiencing, but that obviously didn’t happen. The condition became aggravated when Hamilton began to ramp up his workouts and swing the bat at full strength.
However, Garrett Wilson of The Outside Corner and Monkey With a Halo points out that Hamilton was complaining about rib pain after a charity bowling event very recently. So is this really the sudden issue that the Angels are making it out to be?
BTW, I’m calling BS that his symptoms only resurfaced this week. He was quoted last month as saying his ribs still bothered him
— Garrett Wilson (@Garrett_MWAH) February 3, 2015
The Angels say Hamilton will be ready to begin baseball activities in three weeks. But if he misses most or all of spring training, Hamilton will almost certainly require a minor league rehab assignment once he’s ready to play.
Hamilton was limited to 89 games last season with injuries to his shoulder, chest, thumb and rib cage. He batted .263 with a .745 OPS, 10 home runs and 44 RBI. He’s entering the third year of his five-year, $125 million contract, an investment of which it’s fair to say hasn’t yielded a very good return for the Angels.
