Nevin shelved by shoulder injury

SAN DIEGO, March 10 (UPI) -- Veteran outfielder Phil Nevin of San Diego will miss the 2003 season after a devastating shoulder injury last week.

Nevin suffered a dislocated left shoulder Friday while making a diving catch in a 2-0 exhibition loss to the Chicago White Sox. Doctors said the dislocation was severe, and that it will require reconstructive surgery.

"It has to be put back together," Nevin, the club's Most Valuable Player from 1999-2001, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "It has to be fixed. It'll happen again and again and again if I don't get it fixed."

A report by MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, the surgery will secure the shoulder by tightening up the ligaments that hold it in place.

"If they don't do it, during the rehab process the shoulder could keep popping in and out of the socket," said reliever and teammate Trevor Hoffman, who will miss at least half the season after surgery earlier this month to shave a small piece of his right collarbone at the A/C joint.

Nevin, 32, will have missed a good portion of two seasons when he returns to the team in 2004. Last year, he missed 55 games with a right elbow injury and a broken left arm just below the shoulder blade.

He underwent an MRI on the damaged shoulder in Peoria, Ariz., on Saturday, and then returned to San Diego.

"It was the normal stuff for that kind of severe injury," said San Diego Manager Bruce Bochy. "But there was no damage to the rotator cuff. What I feel good about is that he'll be stronger and more comfortable with the shoulder when this is all said and done. No question it was a devastating blow to the club. It was real quiet (on Saturday). With what we went through last year, it's not as if we haven't been through a lot already as a team. Guys are wondering how this can keep happening, but it has happened. We will move on here and do the best we can without Phil. We know we're not going to replace his bat. It's tough. We went through a lot last year. Nobody wants to go through that again with the games we lost."

After the injury, Nevin remained on the field for nearly 10 minutes before being taken to the hospital. He was trying to make a transition to left after beginning his major league career as a third baseman. He toyed with catcher for a couple of years before moving back to third.

Last season, he agreed to switch to first to make room for rookie Sean Burroughs, but a shoulder injury to Burroughs resulted in a move back to third. Nevin was given the choice of going to play either left or right field this spring.

He enjoyed a career year in 2001, batting .306 with 41 home runs and 126 RBI, but could not duplicate the those numbers in an injury-filled 2002, hitting just 12 homers with 57 RBI and a .285 average.

Nevin spent significant time on the disabled list last season with a strained right elbow and fractured left arm.

In 780 career games, he owns a .275 average with 135 homers and 469 RBI.