According to FoxSports.com, Angels’ shortstop Maicer Izturis will undergo surgery on his left thumb and miss the rest of the season. Izturis, who was batting .269 with 3 home runs in 79 games this year, tore his ulnar collateral ligament Wednesday night while trying to make a defensive play against the Mariners. Izturis was placed on the 15-day DL Friday, and the team recalled first baseman Kendry Morales from AAA affiliate Salt Lake to take his spot.
So what happens next for the Halos? According to the report, Erick Aybar will take over the starting shortstop role, and Sean Rodriguez will fill in as the back-up. This year, Aybar has hit .286 with 3 home runs and 30 RBIs in 75 games. Though most fans may worry that the Angels will miss Izturis’ .319 batting average with runners in scoring position, it’s important to note that Aybar has hit .294 in the same situation.
Defensively, Izturis performed better than Aybar this year (2 errors to Aybar’s 12), although many of Aybar’s errors have come on plays that Izturis couldn’t make. Aybar has a far superior defensive range, so that will be a big plus for the Angels. If Erick can cut down the “acrobatics” a bit, he should be great for the rest of the season.
Overall, while this is a loss for the Angels, it’s not as devastating as some fans may think. Aybar is more than ready to take over as the starting shortstop, and little-used Sean Rodriguez is a very capable back-up. Rodriguez hit just .185 in 23 games with the Angels this year, but he hit .306 with 21 homers in AAA Salt Lake. If Rodriguez is unable to handle the job, there’s an outside possibility that the Angels could call up top prospect Brandon Wood to take over, but the team prefers that Wood gets everyday playing time in AAA Salt Lake.
Angels’ management expects Izturis to be back and ready for Spring Training next year.
Tags: Erick Aybar, Kendry Morales, Maicer Izturis, Sean Rodriguez
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