Tommy John Surgery Will Keep Wise Out for the Season

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The only thing that kept Angel right-hander Matt Wise’s spirits up last week as he awaited a definitive diagnosis on his injured pitching elbow was his daughter, Ashley.

“You can’t look at a 3-month-old cute little baby and be upset,” said Wise, who felt a burning sensation in his elbow last Sunday during the final three pitches of a one-inning outing against the San Francisco Giants.

Not even time with a loved one may soothe Wise after Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman announced Saturday that the 27-year-old had been lost for the season because of a ruptured ligament in his elbow. Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels’ medical director, will perform Tommy John surgery, tentatively scheduled for March 25.

The best-case scenario for Wise is that he will be able to return for the beginning of spring training 2004. Teammate Steve Green’s return to the mound took nearly two years after he blew out his right elbow in June 2001.

“I’m a baseball player, and that’s what I’m going to be,” said Wise, who was competing for a job as a fifth starter or middle reliever. “It’s just going to take a little longer now for me to get back to being 100%. There’s a 120% commitment on my part to be better when I’m back than I was when I got hurt.”

With Wise out of the picture, Mickey Callaway and Chris Bootcheck have emerged as the leading candidates to replace Aaron Sele as the fifth starter until Sele can return from off-season shoulder surgery.

Wise spent most of last season with triple-A Salt Lake, compiling a 3-4 record with a 5.42 earned-run average in 78 innings. He had no decisions and a 3.24 ERA in seven appearances with the Angels.

“This is a good guy who has done very well for us when we’ve needed him over the past few years,” Stoneman said. “It’s a shame that he won’t be available to take a shot at that job.”

*

Bootcheck delivered his most impressive outing of the spring, giving up one hit and one walk over five innings of the Angels’ 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday before a record 9,786 at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

No matter how well he performs, Bootcheck knows the Angels might prefer to open the season with Callaway as the fifth starter because the latter is out of options and could be claimed off waivers by another major league team.

Bootcheck said he wouldn’t be disappointed in that event. “Getting my opportunities in the spring and sticking around here as long as I can, I’m getting to show them what I can bring to this club,” he said. “I’m letting them know I can fit in when it’s my turn.”

*

Ace Jarrod Washburn will make his first start since injuring his shoulder March 3 when the Angels play the Milwaukee Brewers today in a split-squad game in Maryvale.