Angels call up outfield prospect Peter Bourjos

Peter Bourjos left the Angels’ triple-A Salt Lake team Monday and will join the Angels on Tuesday in Baltimore, where the speedy 23-year-old outfield prospect is expected to get a fair amount of playing time in his first big league stint.

Manager Mike Scioscia hinted at the move Sunday, saying Bourjos was one of the organization’s minor league players who has “opened a lot of eyes and moved up on the depth chart.”

But with the Angels thinking they are within striking distance of Texas, trailing the Rangers by eight games in the American League West, Scioscia made it clear that the team wasn’t embarking on a youth movement or rebuilding program.

Any additions from the minor leagues, the manager said, would be to “help us this season, not just in the future.”

Though Juan Rivera had the team’s top batting average (.319) in July and drove in four runs in Friday night’s win over Texas, the Angels have been unhappy with his sluggish play in left field.

In anticipation of a possible switch, the Angels moved Bourjos, a 10th-round pick in 2005, from center field to left field at Salt Lake last week. Rivera could spell Bobby Abreu in right field and Hideki Matsui at designated hitter.

Bourjos went on a tear in July, setting a Pacific Coast League record for hits in a month with 52, and he is batting .314 with 13 homers, 13 doubles, 12 triples and 27 stolen bases in 32 attempts.

To make room for Bourjos on the 25-man roster, the Angels are expected to send one of their extra relievers, Bobby Cassevah, Michael Kohn or Rich Thompson, back to Salt Lake.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

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