Angels 3B Brandon Wood sees injury as “opportunity to get better”

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The Angels and Brandon Wood found an escape hatch to the horrendous slump that has gripped the young third baseman, a right hip flexor strain that sent Wood and his .156 average to the 15-day disabled list Tuesday.

Wood is out of minor league options, meaning he would have to clear waivers -- where another team could claim him -- before being sent to triple A. By going on the DL, Wood can take a few days to clear his head, let his hip heal and then start a minor league rehabilitation assignment in hopes of finding his swing.

‘It gives me an opportunity, once this hip thing clears up, to truly work on my swing without affecting the big club here,’ Wood said. ‘I look at it as an opportunity to get better.’

Wood, for years the top position-playing prospect in the Angels’ farm system, has only three extra-base hits - -two homers and a double -- in 122 at-bats. He has struck out 36 times and walked only twice. Once he starts playing at Salt Lake, he will work not only on his swing but his approach.

‘Mentally, just try to go in there and own the box you’re in,’ Wood said. ‘I want to go back to getting loaded early and taking the defensive swing out of the equation. They wanted me to cut down on my strikeouts without losing the power. I took it upon myself to try not to strike out so much, that I’ve lost some power.’

Manager Mike Scioscia said it will be good for Wood to ‘decompress and take a little pressure off, go get some at-bats and get ready to come back.’ But does Wood need to go to Salt Lake to get his head or his swing straightened out?

‘It’s all connected,’ Scioscia said. ‘It’s almost like a computer. Sometimes you have to reboot, and he will. We really believe in his talent. I think when it’s all said and done, we’re going to see a kid who is very productive.’

But first, Wood needs to regain the confidence that made him such a promising power-hitting prospect.

‘There is definitely some indecision in his process in the batter’s box that you have to flush out of there,’ Scioscia said. ‘You can’t be saying, ‘If I get a good pitch, I’m going to swing, if not, I’m going to take.’ You have to really stay aggressive until the ball is not in the zone, and he’s having a tough time getting into that mindset.’

--Mike DiGiovanna