TODAY: Cozart underwent the surgery, the Angels announced. The procedure carries a recovery timetable of 6-8 months, so Cozart will indeed miss the rest of the season and could miss some Spring Training time if his rehab is on the longer end of the spectrum.
WEDNESDAY: The Angels announced tonight that infielder Zack Cozart has been diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that will require surgical repair. The Angels didn’t provide a timetable for his return, though it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to recover in time to return in 2018.
Cozart, 32, signed a three-year, $38MM contract with the Angels to serve as their everyday third baseman this past offseason. However, after a strong start to the season, he faded badly, hitting just .184/.287/.224 in his final 27 games before landing on the disabled list on June 15. Given today’s medical update, it seems quite likely that his first season with the Halos will come to a close with an overall .219/.296/.362 batting line.
It’s the latest in a staggeringly long line of injuries for an Angels club that now has an incredible 13 players on its Major League disabled list. Beyond Cozart, key players including Shohei Ohtani, Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Nick Tropeano and Keynan Middleton are all on the shelf at present.
[Related: Los Angeles Angels depth chart]
Rookie David Fletcher and veteran Luis Valbuena have been sharing the workload at third base since Cozart landed on the disabled list, though Valbuena is in the midst of his worst offensive season since 2012. Fletcher was on an otherworldly tear in Triple-A before his call to the Majors and has hit well in a tiny sample of 24 plate appearances. Certainly, the Angels could elect to stick with that pair for the remainder of the season, but the loss of Cozart also presents GM Billy Eppler and his staff with the possibility of acquiring a short-term upgrade at the hot corner at a time when the market figures to be flush with options.
Manny Machado, of course, is the biggest name on the trade market who fits that bill, but there will surely be others on the table. Mike Moustakas is already available, and it stands to reason that the Mets would be willing to part with either Todd Frazier or Asdrubal Cabrera. Adrian Beltre stands out as yet another intriguing possibility, as the Rangers are reportedly open to dealing the future Hall of Famer, who is a free agent at season’s end. Old friend David Freese, too, could emerge as a trade candidate next month, depending on the Pirates’ play.
At a certain point, however, it’s worth wondering if the Angels will even function as buyers on the summer trade market. The Halos are 4-11 in their past 15 games and have fallen to fourth place in the AL West, currently sitting a likely insurmountable 12 games back of the Astros. The Wild Card prospects are a bit better for the Halos, as they’re “only” eight games out of that race. That said, with injuries mounting and a tough schedule ahead — they have two series against the Mariners and Dodgers each before the All-Star break — it shouldn’t necessarily be considered a lock that the Angels will be in position to be adding pieces a month from now.
Sure. Why not?
It’s in line with everything else this season.
Angels are cursed
At this point it is safe to say it is lagely a strength and conditioning issue, with players also being pushed and overused
You can’t prevent all of these types of injuries, but this organization has seen way too many of them the last few years to call it anything other than a result of a bad organizational philosophy. They are helping make sure these injuries occur
It’s getting kind of weird…..
Wow that’s what I’ve been saying. But everyone knocks me for saying it
And you are knocked again
Best reply of the year
Lol California teams these days. Giants, Dodgers, now Angels all riddled with Injury. I’m going to blindly guess that these three teams could have more injuries combined than an entire division combined.
I think the Angels alone could have more injuries than an entire division
Oakland has 8 starting pitchers on the DL right now. Only 1 of their starters has not been on the DL this year. Already broke the record for most starters to start in a season.
But Oakland wasn’t expected to compete, despite the surprising pleasant 42-38 start.
Still don’t expect them to compete. These injuries mean more to the Angels, than A’s
I wasn’t saying other teams haven’t had injuries. Just that the Angels have the worst of it this year, especially for a team expected to contend. Angels already broke the team record for players on the DL at the same time. They only have like 6 guys on the opening day roster that haven’t been injured yet.
Only angel fans thought they could contend.
Yeah, I don’t really think many people expected them to contend.
And you thought the Angels would compete!? Lolzzzz
Spoken like a true Halo clown. Teams 2O games out and under .500 year after year.
TroHalo Shane lays another turd.
Hold my beer.
– Mets
2018 Angels’ curse continues…
Make it stop my goodness
Why in Gods name would we mention Machado or other big market names in the article as a potential filler?
13 players on the DL, 12 games out of 1st, wild card is just as deep.
Makes no sense for the angels to dump a load for Machado when they are a long ways from even smelling the wild card.
It’s taken the Angels a few years to rebuild their farm system, and I’d hate to see them fritter away key prospects for 3 months of Machado when it’s pretty clear they still have other needs.
I agree. Let the farm continue to build. This is a lost season. Trade away anyone who could get some value back and hope for next season. Don’t rush Ohtani. This is astounding how often players are getting hurt. Even players called up to replace players are getting hurt. Jewell was carted off the field and he was with the team for less than 24 hours
If Anderson got you Machado then do it. Other than that, angels has what ot takes but rotations and DL issues is the fallback
They mention it bc the angels gm is stupid…and might actually do it and it still would be a better use of money than cozart or kinsler
Ahh, what’s another lost $10-12 million….
People forget, since Cozart, an elite 2B/SS def option who’d man SS for most teams, got a three year commitment since he signed early in the off-season.
Shoulder injuries are no laughing matter, therefore hopefully this injury doesn’t have any lingering long-term effects. He was hot, started off season with a bang.
Does anyone know how he tore his labrum??
update: found it. “On June 13, 2018, Cozart left the game with a shoulder injury while fielding a ground ball. Two weeks into his injury, it was revealed that Cozart had suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder.”
“The Angels announced on Wednesday that infielder Zack Cozart will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Angels did not release a timetable for Cozart’s return, but the rehab for this type of procedure on a non-throwing arm is typically six to eight months, meaning he’s likely to miss rest season.”
Source- mlb.com/news/zack-cozart-to-undergo-shoulder-surge…
MLB article actually has video of the injury. CRAZY he played 2 weeks with a TORN LABRUM?! Even if it was on his non-throwing arm, still NUTS.
It’s really not that bad. It’s not the same as tearing a muscle, ligament or tendon
You have no clue how brutal a torn labrum is. None whatsoever.
One of the Pirates best prospects is SS Kevin Newman. He was just named to the AAA (IL) All Star team and will likely be up by the end of July. So, either Freese or Mercer or maybe both will traded and probably won’t cost much.
I’d like to see the Pirates resign one of the two as a bench piece for next year, though.
This is the kind of thing the Angels can absorb this year. They’ve shown potential, and the race to the playoffs is a slippery slope this year. They have the parts to contend for years to come and are better off rehabbing all their players to try to compete next year. The only thing is every year is closer to Mike Trout’s free agency, and we need to make sure it’s appealing to him to re-sign again. Billy Eppler has done a nice job of putting a good team around him but these next 2 years will be crucial to the whole future of the Angels.
Yea let’s sign all these old guys and then act all surprised that they can’t stay healthy lol
Add John Lamb to the list. Just announced Tommy John surgery. Joins the team for a month and is now out.
Neil Walker…. give Cash a call. Why waste prospects for Manny. Walker is a nice stop gap.