Injuries may linger for Kotchman

The sprained left middle finger and bruised left thumb that Casey Kotchman suffered Wednesday night are expected to sideline the Angels first baseman for five or six games, meaning he could sit out the entire American League West showdown series at Seattle Monday through Wednesday.

They’re also injuries that could nag Kotchman for weeks and hinder the effectiveness of the .300 hitter and top-notch defender.

“It’s obviously something that’s not going to feel 100% for the rest of the season,” said Kotchman, who was hit while fouling off a cut fastball from Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

“You don’t want to hurt the club by not being able to execute a throw or swing the bat. It’s a fine line, knowing where you’re at percentage-wise and whether you can help the team out.”

Kotchman’s fingers improved Friday, “but not enough to grip a bat.” Asked which finger hurt more, he said, “Both. Each one feels different.” His middle finger is swollen. His thumb, he said, was “smashed.”

So much blood built up under the thumbnail Wednesday night that athletic trainer Rick Smith drilled a small hole in the nail to relieve pressure.

“Smitty’s real good with the power tools,” Kotchman said. “But it was discomforting.”

When the doctor removed the bandage from the thumb to take X-rays Thursday, “he said it looked like it was fractured,” Kotchman said. “Fortunately, it wasn’t.”

Manager Mike Scioscia said Kendry Morales, recalled from triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, will get the majority of starts at first in Kotchman’s absence, with Robb Quinlan starting against left-handers.

“He’s swinging the bat very well,” Scioscia said of Morales. “We want to see if he can give us a boost from the left side.”

Morales doubled and singled in four at-bats Friday, and Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells robbed him of a possible home run with a leaping catch at the fence.

Juan Rivera, out all season because of a broken leg, hit a game-winning two-run double for triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday night and appears on track to be activated when rosters expand Sept. 1. Rivera, batting .261 with two doubles and four RBIs in six triple-A games, has 43 minor league at-bats, counting three games at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.

“We’d like him to get in the 50-at-bat range, which would be about the equivalent of spring training,” Scioscia said. “Sept. 1 is certainly a possibility.”

Catcher Mike Napoli’s rehabilitation from a strained right hamstring, which has sidelined him since July 28, was delayed for a second day because of back spasms.

“The middle of my back locked up Thursday; I think I slept on it wrong,” Napoli said. “I tried to hit early, and it was bothering me, so I shut it down.”

Napoli hopes to resume jogging this weekend but still appears at least another week away from returning.

Third baseman Chone Figgins, who bruised his left wrist Tuesday night, played catch and took a few ground balls Friday but won’t return to the lineup until Monday at the earliest. . . . The Angels’ Sept. 9 home game against Cleveland has been moved from 12:30 p.m. to 5 to accommodate ESPN. . . . Figgins will sign autographs today from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Linder’s furniture store at 301 S. State College Blvd. in Fullerton. Quinlan will sign autographs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the AT&T; Wireless store at 745 S. Main St. in Orange.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com