Report: Several teammates frustrated that Angels' Wilson opting for surgery
Drama in Los Angeles.
Several of C.J. Wilson's teammates on the Angels are frustrated with the left-handed starter's decision to essentially shut himself down for the season, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.
Wilson was diagnosed with a left elbow impingement Saturday, and will likely require surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow.
While his teammates privately would prefer he pitched through the pain, Wilson says he can't - not anymore.
There's no gray area. 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.
I've been pushing through it for a couple months. I've thrown 100 innings in this condition, and it's just consistently getting worse. As it gets worse, the risk of blowing my shoulder out and being completely done with baseball increases, and I'm not willing to take that risk.
If at any point I would've opted for rest earlier in the year, it would've been the same thing.
It (stinks). Obviously, the team has been playing very well. Despite the win-loss record, I felt like I had a lot of really good games where I provided depth and stuff for the team. But right now, I just have to cheerlead and try to help in some other way.
Wilson's 8-8 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 132 innings, striking out 110 and walking 46. His spot in the rotation will be taken by Cory Rasmus, who'll start Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wilson's making $18 million this season, and will make $20 million in 2016, the final year of his five-year, $77.5-million contract. He has an elbow injury history, undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2003, and having bone spurs removed in August 2008 and after the 2012 season.
The Angels are 55-48 heading into Sunday, in second place in the American League West. They trail the Houston Astros by three games, but currently hold down the AL's first wild-card spot.