Angels outfielder Ben Revere finds his power in spring training

In the weaker half of two split-squad games Wednesday, while most of his major league teammates played at the Angels’ home base in Tempe, Ben Revere did something at the Peoria Sports Complex that he almost never does.

He homered.

The 5-foot-9 outfielder’s lack of power makes him unique among modern professional ballplayers. He did not hit his first major league home run until his fifth season, 2014, after more than 1,400 at-bats. No one had required as many at-bats to go deep in nearly 40 years. Now, he has six career home runs in the regular season and three in spring training, always to right field, never to the opposite field.

That lack of power is a product of his frame, his swing, and the way pitchers handle him, the Angels’ fourth outfielder said this week.

“Usually, the only time they come inside is if they come way inside, to jam me,” Revere said. “And then they go right back away. That’s the way it is.

“And I can’t go oppo. No oppo bombs.”

Opposite-field home runs generally require additional power. His game is built on putting the ball in play, which he did well yearly until 2016, when he was bothered by an oblique strain. He then signed a one-year, $4-million make-good contract with the Angels.

“I come close,” he said. “I hit one in the middle of the fence one time, right in the middle. But I thought I crushed that ball, and it hit the fence.”

Revere, a left-handed hitter, knows it’s only 310 feet from home plate to the left-field wall at Fenway Park. He believes the proximity of the Green Monster offers the best chance of breaking his streak.

“There’s some parks where I hit a high pop fly to the warning track, and I’m thinking, if I do that at Fenway, that’s a home run, opposite field,” Revere said. “But you can’t do it there.”

Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2007, Revere reached the majors with the Twins in 2010, then was traded to Philadelphia two years later. There, he entered into a friendship with longtime Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

“Jimmy Rollins tried to tell me, you can go oppo,” Revere said. “I’m like, ‘Jimmy, no,’ With my swing, I’m a line-drive hitter. With his, he kinda lifts the ball a little bit.”

Rollins is listed as two inches shorter than Revere, and the same 175 pounds. Yet, he has hit 225 more home runs. In Philadelphia, Revere was commonly confused with Rollins. Fans regularly asked for his autograph thinking he was the former most valuable player.

“I’m not Jimmy,” he said.

Valbuena disappointed

Infielder Luis Valbuena did not expect the twinge of pain he felt as he touched home Wednesday to result in anything serious, but an MRI exam showed a significant strain in his right hamstring.

The January signee was surprised to hear he will have to miss four to six weeks before resuming action, particularly because the injury he sustained to the same muscle a year ago felt much worse.

“I feel so bad, because I want to start the season,” Valbuena said. “I don’t want to hurt my team, and right now I feel so bad because it’s my first time here. A new team, and this happens to me.”

Angels send down Meyer

Right-hander Alex Meyer entered spring training with a shot at a spot in the Angels’ starting rotation. He will end it in minor league camp after being reassigned there Friday afternoon. The 27-year-old Meyer walked 10 and struck out nine in 10 Cactus League innings.

Also reassigned were infielder Nolan Fontana, outfielder Ryan LaMarre and catcher Francisco Arcia. The roster now numbers 43, meaning 18 players still must be removed before opening day on April 3.

Short hops

Minor league catcher Taylor Ward, the Angels’ 2015 first-round pick, will begin the season on the disabled list. He strained an oblique muscle in minor league camp last week and is expected to be activated before April’s end. … Albert Pujols continues to take ground balls at first base, but he has not played the position in a game this spring and appears unlikely to do so substantively during the season. ”We’re not going to risk what he’s doing in the batter’s box for him to play first base,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. … Right-hander Matt Shoemaker struck out 11 Oakland minor leaguers over six innings on a back field Friday afternoon. He walked one and permitted three hits and two earned runs, both in the first inning.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura