Shoulder Injury Lands Glaus on DL

Troy Glaus often kept mum and played through assorted ailments and injuries over his first six seasons with the Angels, never missing more than a few days at a time.

But in a rare acknowledgment Tuesday, Glaus told team officials he was feeling increased discomfort in his right shoulder after landing on it awkwardly Monday on the artificial turf at Tropicana Field while trying to field a ball.

The Angels responded Wednesday by putting Glaus on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Tuesday, citing a contusion in the shoulder.

Glaus began his first stint on the disabled list by returning to Southern California, where he was examined Wednesday by Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels’ medical director. An MRI exam confirmed the diagnosis and revealed normal wearing within the joint.

“Troy wants to compete and be out there every day,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He usually plays very well through some issues. So for him to admit something was wrong in his shoulder, you definitely get concerned about it, especially when it looked like it wasn’t something he was going to be able to shake off.”

The Angels replaced Glaus on the roster with reliever Mickey Callaway, whose rehabilitation assignment ended Wednesday. Had they not activated Callaway from triple-A Salt Lake, the Angels would have risked losing the right-hander on waivers before being able to assign him to the minors.

“If you ask us today, ‘Do we need 12 pitchers?,’ probably not,” Scioscia said. “But I think having 12 will keep guys strong. A lot of times you don’t realize you need 12 until it’s too late.”

Scott Spiezio replaced Glaus at third base for a third consecutive game, with Shawn Wooten again coming off the bench to take Spiezio’s spot at first. Wooten and Benji Gil can also play third, but Spiezio is the most natural fit there, though he cost the Angels a run Tuesday with an errant throw to first.

“I grew up playing third, played it all through the minor leagues,” Spiezio said, “but there’s going to be stuff that doesn’t come natural and I’ll make mistakes.”

Glaus was hitting .248 with 16 homers and 50 runs batted in in 91 games but had been hitting only .196 with two homers and six RBIs this month.

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The home plate gate at Edison Field will open two hours prior to game times, 30 minutes earlier than before, starting Friday when the Angels play host to the Oakland Athletics. Other entrances will still open 90 minutes before games. The change was made to allow fans to watch the Angels take batting practice.