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Peter Bourjos' season may be over as the Angels will likely have the outfielder undergo surgery on his right wrist at some point in the near future, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles TImes. Bourjos and the Angels may decide to postpone the surgery until after the season, however, he would not be able to swing the bat, limiting him to a defensive substitute and pinch-running role only.
#Angels CF Peter Bourjos "likely" to have surgery to insert pin in broken right wrist. Could PR and play defense but no more at-bats.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) September 7, 2013
Bourjos has been dealing with a broken bone in his wrist for much of the season, playing in just 55 games for the Angels this year. After missing all of July and much of August, Bourjos returned to play on August 16th, starting 12 games before this recent setback. Over 196 plate appearances in 2013, he has hit .274/.333/.377.
If Bourjos were to have surgery immediately, recovery would take roughly 8 weeks, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. By using him in a reserve role, the Angels could risk further aggravating the injury, and with the team out of the playoff hunt, it is unlikely that is presence would be of any significance to the club.
This is the second consecutive year in which Bourjos has missed a significant portion of the season. He missed 61 games in 2012, and had just a 72 OPS+ when healthy. Bourjos is generally regarded as one of the best centerfielders in the game, with his presence being the primary reason for phenom Mike Trout making the switch to left field. If Bourjos can return to his 2011 offensive level of play (.271/.327/.438 with a league leading 11 triples), then he could be among the premier centerfielders in baseball factoring in his superb defensive skills. Bourjos has also been the topic of quite a few trade rumors over the past couple years, mostly involving the Angels' search for young starting pitching. However, his recent injury woes make it unlikely that the club would move him this offseason considering the drop in Bourjos' perspective trade value.
