Matthews Jr. injures ankle

TEMPE, Ariz. -- His left shoulder, which was so damaged and weak last season he hit .175 from the right side, felt strong, and his left knee, which “wasn’t feeling real great a couple weeks ago,” was beginning to come around.

Gary Matthews Jr. was having a great spring, getting a single in his first at-bat Monday to raise his Cactus League average to .449 and stealing second, his fourth stolen base.

Then, on a play so innocuous most in Tempe Diablo Stadium probably didn’t see it, Matthews twisted his right ankle as he pulled up before third base on Garret Anderson’s inning-ending strikeout, fell to the ground in pain and had to be helped off the field.

X-rays were negative, and Matthews, who will rotate through the corner outfield and designated-hitter spots this season, was listed as day to day.

Though the injury did not appear serious, it is the same ankle in which Matthews suffered a second-degree sprain Sept. 11 sliding into second base at Baltimore, an injury that sidelined him for 10 games.

“He was frustrated and surprised,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of Matthews. “He was slowing down to toss his helmet to Dino [Ebel, third base coach], caught an edge and rolled his ankle. . . . He was running so well.”

The injury could throw Matthews’ status in doubt for Monday’s season opener at Minnesota.

“We’re going to have to evaluate it,” Scioscia said. “We’ll see.”

If Matthews opens on the disabled list -- joining pitchers John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Chris Bootcheck and probably Scot Shields -- it would give Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits more playing time and improve Kendry Morales’ chances of making the team.

Matthews sat out a game last week because of a bruised left gluteus, an injury he suffered sliding into home, but after an injury-plagued 2007, he has been sound for the most part this spring.

Matthews hurt his left shoulder diving for a ball in spring training last year and never really recovered.

“I thought it would get better, but you could feel something deep in the shoulder, it wasn’t right,” Matthews said. “It turned into pain, then I started losing strength, and by the end of the year, the strength was nonexistent.”

Matthews sprained his ankle in September, returned and played six games but hurt his left knee while racing to the warning track for a ball in Texas, an injury that knocked him out of the playoffs.

On second thought

After meeting with Scioscia on Sunday, Shields, sidelined by an inflamed forearm, retracted Saturday’s no-doubt-about-it prediction that he would be ready by opening day.

“I’ve come to the realization that March 31 might not happen,” the set-up man said. “I’m still shooting for it, but they talked a little bit of sense into me, I guess.”

The gist of Scioscia’s message, Shields said, was “to take your time with it. It’s a long year. Let’s get it right now, rather than try to throw through it and be out for a year and a half.”

Shields said his forearm “is getting better, there’s no pain,” but Scioscia wants the right-hander to be cautious.

“This thing is going to be driven at a pace where he can be ready for the season, not necessarily what the schedule says opening day is,” Scioscia said. “We’re not ruling it out, but we’re not trying to cram anything to get him ready for that day.”

If long reliever Dustin Moseley wins the fifth rotation spot, Rich Thompson, Jason Bulger and Darren O’Day could all open the season with the Angels.

Minor injury

The muscles between the fingers on third baseman Chone Figgins’ left hand cramped during a fifth-inning at-bat, requiring a trip to the plate by athletic trainer Ned Bergert.

Figgins, who broke two fingers of his left hand in the final week of spring training last season, knocking him out for all but one game in April, remained in the game and singled to right field but was pulled after the inning. He is expected to play today.

Rally tie

Ervin Santana gave up three earned runs and nine hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking none, in a 4-4 tie against the San Diego Padres. Santana threw 93 pitches. The Angels scored twice in the bottom of the ninth on Willits’ sacrifice fly and Morales’ two-out, run-scoring triple. . . . Bootcheck threw about 30 pitches off the front of a mound, the first time he has thrown off a mound since suffering a rib-cage strain March 2.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com