Langston Injury Adds to Tumultuous Season

Joe Maddon’s first pregame meeting with reporters as interim to the interim manager was interrupted Thursday by Angel media relations official Larry Babcock, who had--what else?--more bad news.

Babcock informed Maddon that Mark Langston, on the disabled list for the third time in 1996 because of a right knee injury, will not pitch again this season. Maddon could only shake his head.

“It has been,” he said, “an incredible year.”

The Angels already have used a major league-record 27 pitchers this season, and they’ve used the disabled list a team-record 21 times. Their rotation now includes two pitchers who began the season at double-A Midland, Jason Dickson and Pep Harris, and one who started at triple-A Vancouver, Dennis Springer.

“What you can control, you control,” Maddon said, “and what you can’t control, you have no choice.”

Langston, who turned 36 Tuesday, will dedicate the next five weeks to strengthening the muscles around his right knee joint. He will be reevaluated again in late September to determine whether he’ll need surgery.

“The rehabilitation just wasn’t coming around like we thought it would,” said Langston, reached at his home in Anaheim Hills. “It’s improved some, but not good enough to where I can pitch.”

Ned Bergert, Angel athletic trainer, said the injury “is not career-threatening at this time.” Could Langston have made a comeback if the Angels were in a pennant race?

“I could have tried some other things, but there’s also a potential for damage down the road,” Langston said. “There’s no reason to chance it now.”

Langston (6-5) had been on the DL only twice in 12 previous big league seasons, but he was sidelined because of knee surgery to remove a partial cartilage tear in his right knee in early May and went out again in mid-July because of a strained right calf and nerve irritation in his right leg.