Surgery Cuts Short DiSarcina’s Season

Gary DiSarcina’s 2000 season--and, quite possibly, his Angel career--ended on the operating table Thursday, as the veteran shortstop underwent surgery to repair a small tear in the rotator cuff and smooth down the outer layer of the labrum in his throwing shoulder.

The rehabilitation process for such a procedure is typically nine months to a year, a layoff that will prevent DiSarcina, who is in the final year of a four-year, $11.7-million contract, from making enough plate appearances to guarantee his 2001 option for $3.45 million.

That means DiSarcina, a steady defender who has provided solid production from the No. 9 spot, will become a free agent this winter unless the Angels pick up the 2001 option or attempt to re-sign him with a new deal.

“It’s way too early to make a determination on that,” Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman said when asked if the Angels would pick up the 2001 option. “I talked to Gary, and it was obvious the contract issue would come up, and his response was that it’s too early to get into that.”

How Stoneman, the first-year general manager, and the Angels handle the delicate situation created by DiSarcina’s surgery could go a long way toward shaping how players feel about the organization and whether those whose contracts expire in the next two years--players such as closer Troy Percival and outfielders Tim Salmon and Darin Erstad--will want to stay.

DiSarcina, 32, may be the most popular player in the Angel clubhouse, a nine-year starter and team leader whose work ethic, intensity and willingness to play through pain has set an example for younger players for years.

“Gary is a friend, and I hope to play with him the rest of my career,” Percival said. “But you know what? [Former Angels] Jim Edmonds and Mike James were friends too, and they’re playing for the Cardinals now. I fully expect Gary back here next year, though. You just don’t let guys like him go.”

Utility player Benji Gil has done a decent job in DiSarcina’s place this season, but he’s hitting .207 with six runs batted in and has been erratic defensively, making several outstanding plays but botching several routine ones.

The Angels are grooming speedster Justin Baughman as a possible replacement, having moved him from second base back to his original shortstop position, where he has played 13 games at double-A Erie and nine at triple-A Edmonton “and has done very well,” Stoneman said.

Stoneman could also look outside the organization for help. He had conversations with the Cleveland Indians about shortstop prospect John McDonald, though talks never reached a serious point. Another option is shortstop Kevin Stocker, who was released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Thursday.

The San Diego Padres are looking to unload shortstop Chris Gomez, a seven-year veteran who had knee surgery last season and lost his job to Damian Jackson this year. Gomez is signed through 2001--he’ll make $2.6 million this season and $3 million next year--and could be had in a trade for prospects.

A deal for Gomez would further cloud DiSarcina’s future in Anaheim. DiSarcina’s past--as far as his shoulder--seems a little hazy too.

Stoneman said doctors had a difficult time determining how long DiSarcina had the rotator cuff tear, but there are indications it could date to the end of the 1998 season.

DiSarcina bounced a few throws in the dirt and experienced shoulder pain that September, but with the Angels in a heated division race that they eventually lost to the Texas Rangers, DiSarcina remained in the lineup.

DiSarcina suffered a broken bone in his left forearm when he was hit by a fungo bat on the first day of spring training in 1999 and didn’t play until June 22. He had more throwing problems in August and sat out six games because of a sore shoulder.

Then one month into this season, DiSarcina sat out five games because of tightness in his right shoulder and was put on the disabled list May 9.

The Angels did not order an MRI test on DiSarcina’s shoulder until this month. He also visited vascular and orthopedic specialists in Chicago for further tests, none of which determined the cause of his discomfort.

Still, “there had been some indication there might be a problem in [the rotator cuff],” Stoneman said. “This was not a total surprise.”

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ANGELS 3, MINNESOTA 1

Scott Schoeneweis limits the Twins to one run and six hits in 7 1/3 innings. Page 10

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A DAY OFF

Troy Percival will rest after pitching in three games in a row. Page 10