Kelvim Escobar : August 2nd, 2008, 4:45 pm est
News: The Sports Xchange reports Los Angeles Angels SP Kelvim Escobar joined his teammates at Yankee Stadium Friday with his right arm in a sling. Escobar had surgery to repair the posterior labrum in his pitching shoulder Tuesday in New York and will fly back to California with the team on Sunday night. He is scheduled to meet with the Angels' medical staff there next week and map out a plan for his recovery. But Escobar said it was 'good news' when Mets team physician Dr. David Altchek gave him the post-surgery recap on Tuesday. Altchek stabilized Escobar's labrum and repaired the tear. But 'everything else was good -- he didn't have to touch my rotator cuff,' Escobar said. 'I was anxious,' Escobar said. 'They don't tell you until after what they had to do. I wanted to find out how it went. There was a lot of anticipation because they don't tell you until after what they had to do. 'I saw my doctor with a big smile and he told me, 'You're going to be fine. It went very well. It wasn't that bad.''
Analysis: The prognosis is for a nine- to 12-month recovery, putting Escobar back on the field some time around the 2009 All-Star break. But Escobar is optimistic that his work ethic will allow him to shorten that recovery time. 'I think it can be less than a year,' he said. 'All the work I did before the surgery helped. We'll see.
