Angels give Alex Meyer another shot in starting rotation

The Angels are giving Alex Meyer another chance to establish himself as the major league starter he was long expected to become.

Nine years ago, Boston drafted Meyer out of a rural Indiana high school and offered him more than $2 million to sign. He went to the University of Kentucky instead, and three years later signed with Washington for a similar bonus. Accordingly, he officially became a top prospect in the spring of 2012.

Since then, injuries have regularly struck his lanky 6-9 frame, and he’s been traded twice. At 27, he has pitched in 10 major league games and registered a 6.54 earned-run average.

Still, when Tyler Skaggs’ oblique strain vacated a starting spot for at least the next two months, Meyer was the Angels’ first choice to fill it. He is scheduled to start Thursday against Seattle, and manager Mike Scioscia said he does not expect the opportunity to be “one and done.”

“I’m excited about it,” Meyer said. “It’s extremely unfortunate what’s been going on with the injury bug up here, with Tyler, Garrett [Richards] and the bullpen on top of that. Obviously, they need some help. I want to be the guy to help them with that.

“This is a big deal for me.”

Meyer battled errant command throughout spring training. Since the season began, he said, his command has been “fairly good” with triple-A Salt Lake. He said he has focused on landing his curveball in the strike zone, a feat he did not consistently manage during his only appearance for the Angels this season, 3 2/3-innings against Toronto on April 21.

He made only one start since, a four-inning outing for triple-A Salt Lake in which he allowed five runs. He said he succeeded with the curveball in the latter three innings after a “lethargic” first inning.

“Now it’s a matter of doing that through a full outing at this level,” he said.

Across the industry, the consensus is that Meyer is best suited to pitching in relief. The Angels do not share that belief.

“With where his upside is,” Scioscia said, “we definitely think it’s worth giving him an opportunity, to see if the improvements he’s been working on are where they need to be.”

Short hops

Second baseman Danny Espinosa was not in the starting lineup Wednesday after an extended pregame session with coaches Dave Hansen and Paul Sorrento to make changes to his left-handed swing. The switch-hitter started the day with a .160 batting average and a .511 OPS in 103 plate appearances this season, with 37 strikeouts. He is expected to start Thursday. “There’s been some glimmers of hope,” Scioscia said. … Right-hander Andrew Bailey began to throw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since shoulder inflammation prompted him to be shut down April 12. His recovery remains ahead of that of Cam Bedrosian, who has not yet throw from a long distance.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura