"Two weeks ago, a slumping Vernon Wells was asked if his first weeks with the Angels could have gone any worse than they had.
"It could be worse," he said. "A lot of other stuff could have gone wrong."
He was proved right Monday night when he went on the DL after injuring a muscle in his right groin.
"That's kind of what I meant," Wells said with a rueful smile. "This isn't a good thing."
Wells injured himself on a swing in the fourth inning of the Angels' 8-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox. He hit a ground ball to third base and could barely leave the batter's box, limping back to the dugout with the help of White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski at one point.
"I think it (the injury) was on the swing and then obviously I couldn't go anywhere," Wells said. "A.J. asked me if that was my leg that popped. I didn't know. I didn't hear anything but he said he did."
The Angels didn't hesitate, placing Wells (and his disappointing .183 average) on the DL immediately after the game. A corresponding move will be made to fill out the roster Tuesday. But Angels manager Mike Scioscia indicated that move (likely the addition of a reserve outfielder like Reggie Willits or Chris Pettit from Triple-A) will just be made to add depth, not to replace Wells in the lineup.