NewsSantana may rejoin Halos for road trip
Righty has strong rehab outing for Salt Lake on Saturday
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
05/10/09 3:32 PM ET
ANAHEIM -- Unless his elbow doesn't respond well in the next few days, Ervin Santana has an excellent chance of rejoining the Angels' rotation on the upcoming road trip that opens in Texas on Friday.Santana reached 80 pitches, his goal, in five strong innings on Saturday night pitching for Triple-A Salt Lake against Portland. It was Santana's second Minor League rehab outing after a sprained right elbow ligament limited his work in Spring Training.
A 2008 American League All-Star, Santana struck out four men and yielded three hits and one walk, also hitting a batter, while picking up the win against Portland, a 6-2 Pacific Coast League decision by the Bees.
"Ervin had a good outing, getting to 80 pitches and maintaining his stuff," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, adding that the 26-year-old right-hander expressed no discomfort in the elbow area after the game. "We'll see how he is in the next day or two."
John Lackey, coming back from a strained right forearm, is scheduled to make his second rehab start for Salt Lake today. Lackey expressed his desire to return to the rotation if he passes this test as smoothly as he did his first assignment for the Bees.
Like Santana, Lackey will be monitored closely in the next few days to see how his arm recovers and if his stamina is where it needs to be to reach the 90-pitch range against Major League hitters.
Asked about the likelihood of Santana rejoining the rotation, perhaps as early as this weekend, Scioscia was noncommittal.
"It's possible he could fold in next week sometime," the manager said. "We'll see where we are before we make that decision.
"When Ervin's ready, we want him in the rotation. This guy is a guy we need. Whoever is pitching well [referring to stand-in starters Shane Loux, Matt Palmer and Anthony Ortega], that's great. This is primarily about Ervin and where he is and where we want him to get to."
Scioscia said the same position was in place for Lackey, a 2007 All-Star and 19-game winner who has missed the first six weeks of the past two seasons with the first arm issues costing him starts in his career.
As for the strong work of Loux, Palmer and Dustin Moseley -- also coming back from forearm tightness and expected to face live competition soon -- Scioscia maintained that the prospect of an abundance of quality starters is a nice problem to have.
"We're talking about depth in the rotation, and that's good," Scioscia said, adding that there will be a spot left for someone even if Lackey and Santana make it back on the upcoming trip.
Kelvim Escobar, recovering from shoulder surgery, is throwing well and without pain in bullpen sessions but isn't eligible to rejoin the staff until June 4. He's on the 60-day disabled list.
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
