Jered Weaver ready to return but Angels unsure what pitcher’s next step will be

Jered Weaver threw a four-inning, 60-pitch simulated game Tuesday, moving the Angels right-hander to the brink of a return from a left-hip injury that has sidelined him since June 21.

But Manager Mike Scioscia, intent on delaying a rotation decision for as long as possible, said the team has not decided whether Weaver will pitch for the Angels this weekend or begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment.

“We’ll evaluate him over the next couple of days and see what his next step is,” Scioscia said. “The way he pitched today is pretty much the stuff we’ve seen him have. We’ll weigh some things, see if there’s benefit of him [throwing another simulated game]. We’ll see how his next bullpen goes and make a decision.”

Scioscia said he will not use a six-man rotation, but the other five starters are making it difficult for the manager to decide which one will get bumped to the bullpen or to triple-A.

Scioscia said Monday night that left-hander Andrew Heaney, who is 4-0 with a 1.57 earned-run average in five starts since replacing Weaver, will remain in rotation.

Right-hander Garrett Richards (10-6, 3.24 ERA) is the best pitcher on the team, and left-hander Hector Santiago (7-4, 2.30 ERA) made the All-Star team. Left-hander C.J. Wilson (7-7, 3.59 ERA) is a rotation mainstay who is having a solid season, but he could be used as a trade chip to acquire a hitter.

Right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who is 4-7 with a 4.85 ERA entering Tuesday night’s start against the Minnesota Twins, appears to be the most vulnerable — he could be optioned to Salt Lake and remain stretched out as a starter, and his split-fingered fastball might play well in a relief role.

But Shoemaker could keep himself right in the thick of the rotation equation with a strong start Tuesday night. Weaver was 4-8 with a 4.75 ERA and 16 homers allowed before he got hurt, but he was the ace of the staff for a solid five years before this season.

Scioscia said Weaver should be able to throw enough pitches to return to the rotation without a minor league stint, if that’s the direction the Angels go.

“Some things are more important now than length,” Scioscia said. “We need him to execute pitches, and for the most part, he did a better job of that this afternoon.”