Angels infielder Zack Cozart will undergo surgery on his left shoulder next week, the club announced Friday. The procedure is described as an arthroscopic debridement, which will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Wednesday. As for a return date, general manager Billy Eppler revealed that Cozart will not return to game action before the end of the 2019 season.
Cozart, 33, was shifted from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL following news of the impending surgery. He initially sustained the shoulder injury—classified as a torn labrum, followed by a case of chronic shoulder inflammation—in 2018 and has already undergone one surgical procedure to date. He played just 38 games for the Angels in 2019 before his most recent setback, and batted a paltry .124/.178/.144 with two doubles and seven RBI over 107 plate appearances in that span.
It’s hard to believe the veteran shortstop/third baseman profiled as a .297-average, 5.0-fWAR player just two seasons ago, but his decline has been hastened, if not entirely due to a host of neck, forearm, calf, and shoulder issues since then. Whether or not he can deliver any kind of on-field value during his final contract year in 2020 remains to be seen.
