Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair damage to the AC joint in his right shoulder and is expected to miss three to eight weeks, the club announced Tuesday.
The team expects him to miss six to eight weeks according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
Hamilton, 33, will likely miss a good portion of spring training while recovering. He was expected to report for spring training with the other position players on Feb. 24. Pitchers and catchers will report on Feb. 19.
A five-time All-Star, Hamilton is entering the third year of a five-year, $125 million contract with the Angels. To put it mildly, the first two have been disappointments. After averaging 28.4 home runs per season during his five-season run with the division rival Texas Rangers, Hamilton’s belted only 31 thus far in Los Angeles.
He struggled through a nightmare 2013 campaign and was seemingly on his way to a comeback in 2014 before injuries reared their head. A torn thumb ligament cost him nearly two months in April and May, and discomfort in his right shoulder kept him on the shelf for most of September. While he came back for the Angels’ abbreviated postseason run, he was hitless in 13 at-bats, as the Kansas City Royals advanced in a three-game sweep.
That lack of production has left him the brunt of scorn from many Angels fans, who took to booing him regularly at points this past season. Having the surgery now—just a couple weeks away from spring training—rather than the offseason likely won’t do much to improve that chilly relationship.
But the good news is he should be back for the beginning of the regular season. If the procedure gets him right and he begins performing like the MVP-caliber player he was in Texas, this will all be forgotten. If not, the increasingly albatrossian deal will look more so as the Angels rely on Mike Trout and others to pick up the slack.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com