As is often the case this time of year, the Los Angeles Angels have been toying with the idea of adding another bat to their anemic offense for the stretch run. General manager Tony Reagins has come out and said that he's happy with the team he currently has, but that doesn't mean he'd turn down the right offer if it was presented to him.The general consensus being that since the Angels have a surplus in starting pitching, they could move an arm or two to bring a bat like Mark Teixeira in. The thought process was that once Kelvim Escobar returned to the rotation, the Angels would have more than enough pitching.
There's been a wrench thrown in the plans, though, because it doesn't look like Escobar is going to be coming back this season.
After suffering a serious setback in his rehabilitation from a shoulder tear, it appears doubtful the 32-year-old right-hander will pitch at all for the Angels this season.Escobar chose to skip any surgery and just rehab the injury back in the spring, but he's likely to undergo an MRI on his shoulder again today. Considering the pain he's still feeling, I don't think anything on the MRI is going to come back very positive, and I wouldn't be surprised if he finally chooses the surgery option this time around. Doing so would obviously end his season.
"I woke up [Tuesday] and it was like, wow, it's painful," said Escobar, who threw three innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Monday night. "It's not the normal soreness you feel after you pitch. It's pain. It's hurt. And it's in the same spot."
