Mixed injury news for locals
GLENDALE — The following are updates on area Major League Baseball players.
Freddy Sanchez (Glendale Community College, 1998) second baseman, San Francisco Giants: The former National League batting champion was set to get a second opinion on his dislocated shoulder from Dr. Gary Waslewski on Wednesday.
“I want to play, I want to come back this year,” Sanchez told the USA Today in an article published Tuesday. “However, let’s say we go six weeks and it doesn’t start to show progress and [isn’t] getting better, you can’t wait too long [for surgery]. Or else you’ll start getting into next year.
“Hopefully, it will heal itself. If not, we’ll have to take the next step.”
Waslewski performed a prior shoulder surgery on Sanchez, who’s battled his share of injuries throughout his MLB career.
On the season, Sanchez was batting .289 with 24 runs batted in.
Brandon McCarthy (Glendale native) starting pitcher, Oakland Athletics: Nursing a stress reaction in his right shoulder, McCarthy told the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday that he hopes to be back in action by July 1.
It came after he threw a bullpen session.
McCarthy made his last appearance on May 18. For the season, he is 1-4 with a 3.39 earned-run average though nine starts, posting 37 strikeouts to 10 walks.
Doug Slaten (Glendale Community College, 1999) relief pitcher, Washington Nationals: Slaten was put on the 15-day disabled list on June 4 with left elbow ulnar neuritis.
The left-handed specialist, according to mlb.com reports, has been told to rest his elbow for at least two weeks due to an ulnar-nerve problem inside his elbow. The good news, however, is that doctors did not find any ligament damage.
The elbow problems hindered the lanky lefty’s ability to throw his breaking ball and the problems also have him without a timetable for a return.
On the season, Slaten is 0-1 with a 2.19 ERA through 12 1/3 innings, having struck out eight to eight walks.
Trevor Bell (Crescenta Valley High, 2005) relief pitcher, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The former Little League and high school phenom is still being used rather sparingly by the Angels, who drafted him in the first round in 2005.
Bell has made 10 appearances and thrown 18 1/3 innings of relief since April 22 — his first day of action in the bigs this season.
After throwing consecutive scoreless innings in appearances against the Kansas City Royals on May 31 and the New York Yankees on June 5, Bell’s ERA dipped to 3.00, but a tough go against the Royals on Monday, in which he allowed three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of work, bumped his ERA up all the way to 3.93.
For the season, Bell is 1-1 with 10 strikeouts against six walks.
After an off-day on Thursday, the Angels are 33-37 and three games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West Division standings.
The Halos take to interleague play with a three-game set against the host New York Mets on Friday.