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Guerrero may return in under two weeks
Slugger could take batting practice soon; pitchers recovering
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
05/08/09 9:14 PM ET
ANAHEIM -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Friday that Vladimir Guerrero should be ready to take batting practice during the club's current homestand and would be ready to return to the lineup about 10-14 days after starting batting practice. "The window keeps getting shorter and shorter because he keeps passing these challenges, and now he's swinging the bat," Scioscia said. "Once he gets on the field taking practice, [it's] hopefully going to be 10 days to a couple of weeks [before he's back]." Guerrero, who has a torn right pectoral muscle, has begun light baseball activities, such as stretching and swinging the bat, but he is still a long way away from throwing a baseball. That's why when Guerrero returns, he'll be the team's designated hitter, and he could stay there the rest of the season. "I think there's a probability [he could play outfield], but I think there's some things he'll have to get through before he throws a baseball, and that's going to take some time," Scioscia said. "So if it happens, it happens, but what we need is him swinging the bat." The Angels are receiving good news all around on the injury front, as injured starters John Lackey and Ervin Santana are scheduled to make rehab starts this weekend for Triple-A Salt Lake, and if all goes right, they could rejoin the Angels' rotation in their next start. Santana will start Saturday in Portland and Lackey will throw Sunday for Salt Lake. "There's a possibility that they could be ready for us after their next starts, but there's also a possibility they might need another," Scioscia said. "So we'll weigh our options after their starts." And fellow starter Dustin Moseley, who is on the disabled list with tightness in his right forearm, said his rehab process "is going good," and he threw all of his pitches in a bullpen session on Friday. But there's still no timetable for his return, and the right-hander said he's "just listening" at this point. Scioscia is looking forward to all of his injured players returning to the club, but at the same time, he knows that his team can't relax in the meantime. "I don't think it's a situation where we're sitting back and saying that the cavalry is coming and that if we lose, we lose, but when they're going to come back, we're going to win," Scioscia said. "That just isn't the case."Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
