Angels Sign Ex-Dodger Marshall, 31

Hoping Mike Marshall can avoid injuries long enough to help end their offensive doldrums, the Angels on Friday signed the former Dodger first baseman/outfielder to a minor league contract.

Marshall, who was released by the Red Sox last Saturday, reported to the Angels’ Class-A Palm Springs team and was to play against the San Jose Giants Friday. Angel Senior Vice President Dan O’Brien said Marshall will join the Angels for their next home stand, which begins Aug. 2.

Marshall’s Red Sox contract paid him $1.2 million plus a $100,000 signing bonus. It’s expected that his salary with the Angels would be prorated according to the number of days left in the season when he is put on the major league roster. Based on the major league minimum of $100,000, Marshall would earn about $38,000 if he is on the roster from Aug. 2 until the end of the season .

“He is a right-handed bat with some power,” O’Brien said from his Anaheim Stadium office. “We hope he will help our offense, if it’s to be helped.”

An assortment of injuries put Marshall on the disabled list in seven of his eight major league seasons. His most recent was an injured toe, which sidelined him from June 5-18. He had only five at-bats in the month after his activation, and he made his last appearance for the Red Sox as a pinch-runner on July 19. He hit .290 (18 for 62) in 22 appearances with Boston, with one home run and seven runs batted in.

His average is .271 with 148 homers and 530 RBIs in stints with the Dodgers, Mets and Red Sox.

“I’ve been around awhile and I’m only 31. If I don’t have a great two months, my career won’t be over,” Marshall said by phone from Palm Springs. “But as you get older and the problems I had the last couple of years, especially with health, you get less and less chances. I think I’m going to surprise people. Maybe they thought my career was coming to an end. But I feel I have as much ahead of me as I’ve already had behind me. There is a tremendous amount of baseball still in me.”

Marshall’s acquisition might be the Angels’ first concession that Dave Parker--who took a .232 batting average into Friday’s game--hasn’t lived up to their expectations. It also recognizes Parker and Wally Joyner’s weakness against left-handed pitching: Parker is hitting .242 against left-handers, Joyner .237.