Veteran left-hander Mark Mulder’s comeback attempt appears to be over after he suffered a ruptured left Achilles on the second day of Angels workouts today.
Mulder said he would address the injury with reporters on Sunday, but he tweeted: “I can handle this. But seeing my son in tears when he saw me in a boot and crutches and I told him I wasn’t going to pitch. That was tough.”
Achilles injuries take months to heal, which is why this injury is devastating blow to his chances for a comeback. Mulder suffered the injury during warmup drills minutes before he was scheduled to throw his first bullpen session with his new team.
The 36-year-old Mulder, 67 months removed from his last competitive appearance, had thrown several bullpen sessions and simulated games heading into spring training, and pronounced himself ready and hopeful to compete for a rotation spot.
The Angels signed Mulder to an incentive-laden deal that would have paid him $1 million if he made the opening day roster, with up to another $5 million to be earned if he spent the entire season in the rotation.
Although the Angels weren’t counting on him, he did provide one more arm in what they hoped would be a stable of depth for their rotation.
Now the Angels have Joe Blanton, Wade LeBlanc and Matt Shoemaker as the best options if any of the top five starters go down or prove to need more seasoning.
