Kotchman the latest to need a hand

Hands down, this has been a strange year for injuries in the Angels infield.

Third baseman Chone Figgins sat out the first month of the season because of two fractured fingers and probably will be limited to pinch-running duties against Toronto because of a bruised left wrist suffered Tuesday.

Second baseman Howie Kendrick, who had never broken a bone, missed more than half the season because of a fracture on the back of his left hand and a fractured left index finger.

Utility infielder Erick Aybar missed six weeks because of surgery on his right hand.

And now first baseman Casey Kotchman probably will miss a number of games because of a sprained left middle finger and bruised left thumb, injuries he sustained when he fouled a pitch off his hand against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on Wednesday night.

X-rays of the fingers Thursday were negative, but with only one other first baseman (Robb Quinlan) on the roster and Kendrick, who played some first base last season, available in an emergency, the Angels made a roster move to shore up the position.

First baseman Kendry Morales, who entered Thursday with an 11-game hit streak and is batting .343 at triple-A Salt Lake, was recalled after Thursday night’s game and third baseman Brandon Wood was sent to triple A.

It wasn’t nearly as long as some recent closed-door meetings with struggling players, but setup man Scot Shields took his turn in Mike Scioscia’s office Thursday, getting advice and words of encouragement from the Angels manager, pitching coach Mike Butcher and bullpen coaches Orlando Mercado and Steve Soliz.

“It was mostly positive reinforcement, but I don’t really feel like talking about it,” Shields said. “I’m just trying to get guys out.”

The usually dominant Shields had a 2.32 earned-run average in 48 games through July 28 but entered Thursday with a 13.50 ERA in nine August games, giving up 11 earned runs and 13 hits in 7 1/3 innings.

“I’ve never gone through anything like this in my whole life,” said Shields, whose career ERA for August (5.01) is more than 1 1/2 runs higher than any other month. “It’s tough. I’ve tried a few different things, those didn’t work, so I’ve got to go to the next thing. I’m pitching my butt off trying to get guys out, and it’s not happening.”

Scioscia reiterated that Shields “is still the guy we want to get the ball to” closer Francisco Rodriguez.

“A lot of positive ideas were shared, and he’ll make some adjustments,” Scioscia said. “He feels strong, it’s just that consistency is eluding him right now.”

Figgins, who is batting .335, first tweaked his left wrist last season and aggravated it July 27-28, when the Angels faced Detroit left-handers Nate Robertson and Andrew Miller in consecutive games. The wrist seems to bother the switch-hitter only when he’s batting from the right side, as he was when he was injured on a check-swing Tuesday.

“It’s just from not swinging much right-handed, because we don’t face a lot of lefties,” Figgins said. “You can do exercises, but there’s a big difference when you get into games and you’re swinging with real force, as I’ve found out.”

Figgins probably won’t swing a bat until Saturday or Sunday and hopes to return to the lineup Monday night in Seattle.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com