Anderson’s Primary Concern Is His Health

Saying he was more worried about his overall health than about his professional baseball career, Garret Anderson spoke Friday for the first time since his debilitating back pain was diagnosed as undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis on Wednesday.

The Angel center fielder, who has been sidelined since late April, also acknowledged that he began taking medication for the condition, which is essentially inflammation in the joints, on Thursday night, though, “It’s not a silver bullet,” he said.

“There were a couple of different ways to look at it,” Anderson said of his mind-set before the diagnosis. “It wasn’t an injury, so it wasn’t one of those things where I knew it was getting better and it was just going to be a matter of time, so it was driving me crazy.

“I just didn’t have any sense of if I could play. It seemed so far away from me, getting on the field playing. I just knew I couldn’t get out there so it never really got the best of me. I was more worried about what was I dealing with rather than playing baseball.”

Anderson also said that he was given clearance by his doctors to begin light workouts starting Thursday.

And as far as a timetable for returning to the field?

“It’s not even an inkling in my mind,” he said.

Nor, it seems, is the damage the condition could conceivably cause the 31-year-old when he is older and retired from the game.

“I don’t look down that far into the future,” Anderson said. “I just think about today and enjoy today.

“None of us are promised tomorrow. So I just deal with what today has and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

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Troy Glaus underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured right shoulder at the Kerlan-Jobe HealthSouth Clinic. Dr. Lewis Yocum performed the surgery.

“I think the long-term prognosis is good for Troy,” said Angel Manager Mike Scioscia. “Right now, as far as when he’s going to get back, nobody’s going to really have an idea until he gets into his therapy but ... we’ll just have to see how it unfolds....

“There was obviously significant damage in there to warrant surgery and it sounds like Dr. Yocum got in there and hopefully corrected whatever was bothering Troy.”

Glaus, 27, will keep his arm in a sling for the next 10-14 days before being re-examined by Yocum and then beginning rehabilitation.

“His first therapy will be passive range of motion,” Scioscia said. “There’s a lot of work ahead of Troy before you would consider having him think about playing this year....

“I don’t think anything’s ruled out, but I don’t think you can put a timeframe on it until he starts getting into [the rehab].”