Jered Weaver Coming Off DL Wednesday Night

Jered Weaver Injury: Back Spasms Force Ace To DL

It's been a rough few days for phenomenal starting pitchers. Sunday, Roy Halladay went down (and now he's going to be out for a while). Monday, Jered Weaver lasted only 10 pitches against the Yankees before exiting with a back injury.

Now the test results are back, and Weaver's going to miss some time:

Jered Weaver has been placed on the 15-day D.L. with a lower back strain with spasms. Garrett Richards has been called up.

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) May 29, 2012

No prognosis yet, and of course back injuries are notoriously difficult to predict. Like Halladay, Weaver's been particularly durable in recent seasons, and maybe this is merely a quick 15-day blip. Or maybe he'll ... well, let's not speculate about terrible things that might happen.

Garrett Richards struggled during both his short stints with the Angels last season, and his star has fallen somewhat. Once considered a top prospect, Richards has a 4.31 ERA this spring in his first exposure to Class AAA hitters, with an uninspiring 1.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. But with no other potential starters on the Angels' 25-man roster, it sure looks like Richards will fill Weaver's slot for a while.

Jered Weaver Undergoing Tests On Back

Jered Weaver left Monday's game against the New York Yankees after 12 pitches with a back injury. The Angels won anyway, defeating the Yankees for their seventh straight win, but after the game, the team ordered a battery of tests for Weaver.

From MLB.com:

... an MRI could reveal a bulging disk for Weaver.

"I can't really bend over too much," Weaver said. "Muscle relaxer's helping a little bit, but like I said, I've never had something like that happen before, so it was pretty painful. No doubt about it."

The Angels said they'll "most likely" call up a pitcher, regardless of whether Weaver needs to go on the DL. The team hasn't had a day off since May 10, and the bullpen had to absorb nine full innings on Tuesday. The three starting pitchers the Angels have on their 40-man roster are Garrett Richards, Trevor Bell, and Ariel Pena. Bell is struggling this season, and Pena is in AA, so Richards is probably the likeliest candidate.

Jered Weaver Leaves Start After 12 Pitches With Lower-Back Injury