Kole Calhoun Headed to Disabled List

Kole Calhoun had a big night at the plate (he went 3-6 and scored three runs) spoiled with an ankle sprain in the bottom of the eleventh inning. Having hit a home run and a double in the 10-9 Angels loss Calhoun slowed down in running out a groundout and sprained his ankle slowing up down the line after the play had been consummated.

Calhoun joins Josh Hamilton as opening day starters who have hit the DL in the first ten percent of the season. There is no timetable on his return but the minimum stay is 15 days.

This likely brings up minor league outfield prospect Matt Long, he of the hellacious spring training after having a great jump in prospect status, albeit an old (he turns 27 on April 30) one. Long is battign .270 with an .886 OPS and two home runs in eleven games for the AAA Slat Lake Bees. He batted .287 with an .837 OPS in 100 games at Salt Lake last year.

Look for the Angels to DFA a relief pitcher in the process of adding Long (or Brennan Boesch, who like Calhoun and Long is a lefty outfield bat) as the 40-Man roster is currently full. With Collin Cowgill and J.B. Shuck already up, the risk for the final Oakland game could be to bring up another relief pitcher in place of Calhoun and then make a bigger shuffle on Thursday's off day prior to the start of the nine-game road trip form hell (Detroit Tigers over the weekend, then pitchers batting against the Washington Nationals for three games and then a visit to the Bronx to play the Yankees).