Izturis requires season-ending surgery

CLEVELAND -- Things have been going so well for the Angels lately, it seemed that the AL West leaders were invincible to bad news.

But that came to an abrupt halt before Friday's game at Progressive Field, when it was discovered that everyday shortstop Maicer Izturis would need season-ending surgery on his left thumb.

An examination with Dr. Steve Shin in Los Angeles revealed that Izturis had a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb -- the webbing in between the thumb and pointer finger. The 27-year-old will have surgery on Tuesday at the Kerlin-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles and should be ready for 2009 Spring Training.

"That's a tough loss," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We feel terrible for Izzy. We all know how valuable a part of our club he was."

Izturis aggravated the thumb when he attempted to make a diving stop in the ninth inning against the Mariners on Wednesday night. He had sprained the thumb against the Yankees on Aug. 1, subsequently missing eight of the next nine games, but was not placed on the disabled list.

Scioscia said he doesn't regret putting Izturis back on the field seemingly too soon.

"This thing was not going to heal on its own," he said. "Izzy just put his glove into the ground and his thumb was aggravated again, so this thing needs to be fixed. If he was on the DL for a month, it wouldn't have made a difference."

A fixture at the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Izturis, who missed five weeks of the season because of an oblique injury, was batting .333 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. Erick Aybar, who filled in for Izturis when he was on the DL and also played at short when Izturis was at second base early in the season, will take over at shortstop and will assume the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Scioscia said. Aybar, 24, is batting .286 with three homers and 30 RBIs in 75 games.

"Erick Aybar has been doing a great job in the two-hole, and with the experience, he is understanding counts better," Sciosia said. "He's always had the ability to hit up in the lineup, and he'll get a shot there."

With second baseman Howie Kendrick on a tear of late, Scioscia didn't rule out the possibility of juggling the lineup.

"It's going to obviously put some more weight on other players that have to carry the load," Scioscia said. "We're going to have to move on, but it's a certain part of what we've done to this point."

Kendry Morales, who can play at first base and the outfield, was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday to replace Izturis on the active roster. Because utility infielder Sean Rodriguez can also play at shortstop, Scioscia said he didn't feel the need to bring up another shortstop.

"He's swinging the bat well and can give us some versatility," Scioscia said of Morales, who made one appearance as a pinch-hitter for the Angels in May. "He's a good bat off the bench, so we'll give him a look right now."

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