Kohn may miss more time than anticipated (Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE)

According to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, Kohn experienced discomfort and soreness in his injured forearm during a light catch session. Manager Mike Scioscia said he did fine to begin with but when they went to longer throws, the discomfort returned and he was immediately shut down. This latest setback comes after Kohn was shut down once earlier in the spring when he was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his forearm after undergoing an MRI by Angels medical director Dr. Lewis Yocum. The team kept Kohn from throwing at all for a week before trying to bring him back, but the continued discomfort may point to a more serious issue in his arm. He will seek a second opinion from renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who is known to handle many athletes’ reconstructive surgeries. Teams don’t usually send their players to Andrews unless surgery is most likely necessary, so the prognosis for Kohn in 2012 doesn’t look promising.

The 25-year-old righty has spent the majority of his career in the minors with brief stints in the majors over the last two seasons. Last season in Triple-A Salt Lake, Kohn showed some pretty good stuff, pitching in 46 games, getting 12 saves, striking out 64 batters while walking just 20, with a 4.10 ERA. Over the last two seasons Kohn hasn’t been quite as effective striking batters out during his brief call-ups with the Angels, striking out 29 batters while walking 25 in 33.2 innings pitched. At 25, the Angels are hoping that Kohn would begin to grow into a strong big league reliever this season to shore up the bullpen, but this latest setback won’t help his cause. If he does end up needing surgery, let’s hope he’s able to bounce back in 2013 and continue to grow into a solid contributor out of the bullpen.

Abreu's frustration has led to an ultimatum Photo Credit: Allvoices

Positional players haven’t even reported to Spring Training yet, but they are already starting some drama. With the addition of Albert Pujols and the return from injury of Kendrys Morales, the Angels find themselves with too many bats and not enough roster spots (a problem I’m sure plenty of teams would enjoy). Bobby Abreu, who we discussed on Tuesday as the odd man out in the new loaded Angels lineup, has apparently heard the rumors about him getting relegated to pinch hitting and spot starting this season, and he is not too happy about it. Abreu won’t be joining the team until Saturday when he flies in for his physical and starting practice next Monday, but he gave an interview from his home in Venezuela to let the team know just how he’s feeling.

From ESPN.com:

“I’m an every-day player. I can still be in the lineup for a Major League team…I will not be on the bench knowing I can play.

“If the Angels don’t have position for me, then the best thing is to trade me. It would be the correct (thing) to do. I won’t be able to do nothing sitting on the bench.”

He may feel like he can be in the lineup for a Major League team, but it isn’t going to be this Major League team. After spending almost two decades as one of the most complete players in baseball, Abreu got pulled from the outfield last season and was primarily used as a designated hitter. Mike Scioscia on Sunday named Kendrys Morales, who appears like he’ll be cleared to play by Opening Day, as the primary DH for this season and that Mike Trumbo, who was displaced from first by Albert Pujols and has been taking some reps at third during the off season, would also get some games at that spot. In addition, the outfield is firmly set with Vernon Wells, Torii Hunter, and Peter Bourjos returning to roam the deep green, which leaves Abreu’s likely role this season as occasional player and pinch hitter.

New general manager Jerry Dipoto, currently going through his first Spring Training as he maneuvers the immovable contracts he inherited such as Vernon Wells ($26 million) and Abreu ($9 million), wants to push back any possible drama until at least the end of the spring.

“It’s not a foregone conclusion he’s going to be on the bench. Let’s talk about the issue of Bobby as a bench player if, at the end of camp, Bobby’s on the bench.”

Sounds like wishful thinking or a stall until he can work out a deal to find a new home for the expendable bat of Abreu. The trouble with trading Abreu, though, is the lack of takers for Abreu. By all accounts, the Angels have been shopping the outfielder/DH all off season, including a trade the Angels tried to put through with the Yankees for A.J. Burnett, but had the deal fall apart when Burnett exercised his limited no-trade clause to block the move West. Not many other teams are looking to pay a 37-year old outfielder, who couldn’t play in the outfield and hit just .253 with eight home runs last season $9 million. That leaves the two sides stuck with each other for the foreseeable future.

Manager Mike Scioscia reached out to Abreu a month ago to try and clear the air about what his role would be with the Angels this season.

“I talked to Bobby, and he told me he wants to play everyday, but he understands the potential in this team to win and understands the situation.”

Abreu meanwhile, seems to have a different understanding of the situation. While he acknowledges the conversation with Scioscia, he contends that the “conversation had nothing to do about” Abreu becoming a bench player.

“He told me I will start one day in the left field, another in right, and another as a designated hitter.”

I guess Scioscia failed to clearly define for Bobby where he would be in between those three starts…

Barring an injury in the lineup or a setback in Morales’ rehabilitation, Abreu looks destined for a spot on the bench. Will he accept his limited role in the lineup or act as a distraction to try and force a trade? Only time will tell, but at least we have all Spring Training to speculate about it.

"El Hombre" billboard rubbed Pujols the wrong way Photo Credit: Larry Brown Sports, @DowntheRFline

When the Angels signed first baseman Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $250 million free agent contract, they were understandably excited about the acquisition. The addition of the best hitter of a generation added legitimacy to the lineup and immediately made them a World Series contender, which gave the team a great opportunity to boost their ticket sales for this season. With that in mind, the Angels Communications department put together an extensive billboard campaign to get the word out and the community buzzing about the newest Angel. The team put out 70 billboards with a picture of Pujols in his new Angels uniform in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties, 20 of them with the words “El Hombre” like in the banner picture. One problem…Albert Pujols doesn’t like that nickname.

The issue comes from Albert’s last team in St. Louis, where they have a Hall of Famer by the name Stan “The Man” Musial. Pujols and Musial became acquainted during Albert’s time as a Cardinal, and the slugger came away with such a deep respect for Musial, that he asked the St. Louis media and fans to stop calling him “El Hombre” because he felt it infringed on Musial’s legacy and well-earned moniker.

From ESPN.com:

“…I prefer not to use (El Hombre),” Pujols said Wednesday.

“I still have the same respect for him as I had, not just for what he’s done in baseball but for what he did for this country. That’s something you have to appreciate.”

Looking at the career of Musial, it’s easy to see why Pujols has such high respect for him. Musial began playing in the 1940s, and when World War II broke out, Musial left baseball to enlist, skipping the 1945 season to join the Navy. During his 22-year career, Musial was a .331 career hitter, going to 20 consecutive (minus the ’45 season he missed) All-Star games and won the MVP award three times. After he left the service, Musial continued to work extensively with the USO and other groups and charities to benefit service men and women around the world. Last year, the 90-year old Musial was awarded the Medal of Freedom which is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a civilian. Yeah, it’s easy to see how he got to be called “The Man.”

Pujols respect is easy to understand, but the misunderstanding caused by the Angels communication department is a little harder to grasp. This was a nickname that Pujols had publicly asked people to stop using for him just a couple years ago, so it’s not a surprise that he was unhappy having the nickname thrust back onto him. By failing to contact Pujols or his agent before moving forward with this campaign, they’ve managed to ruffle the feathers of Pujols just a couple of days into his first Spring Training. Angels Vice President for communications Tim Mead defended the campaign:

“We’re aware of his feelings about that now…it’s one prong of our campaign, no its full-fledged focus.”

While it is only part of the Pujols push made by the Angels in the community, it would have been nice to have the new cornerstone of the team go through at least a week of Spring Training before venting frustration with the organization. Maybe the next time the Angels sign the best hitter of a generation to a historic deal, Tim Mead and his team can do a little extra research into what people don’t like being called.