ANGELS : Easley to Be Sidelined at Least 10 More Days

Angel second baseman Damion Easley will be sidelined for at least 10 more days because of severe shin splints, causing Angel Manager Buck Rodgers to consider options for opening the season without him.

Easley underwent a bone scan Friday that revealed an abnormality in his shins. Although there is no indication of a stress fracture, Dr. Lewis Yocum said, there is inflammation, particularly in the right leg.

“It’s a little more than shin splints,” Yocum said, “and I just don’t want this to progress into a stress fracture. There’s no sense to push him, because it could lead to more problems.”

Although Yocum expects Easley to be ready by opening day, Rodgers said that he is preparing to play without him. Rene Gonzales will be moved from third base to second and Gary Gaetti once again will be the starting third baseman.

“All we know is that he’s going to be out longer than we originally thought,” Rodgers said. “How long, I don’t think they even know. We have to proceed under the assumption Damion will not be ready. You can’t proceed any other way.”

The delay in Easley’s progress provides a new opportunity for Gaetti, who lost his starting job last season and appeared relegated to the bench.

“I’m not trying to impress anyone,” said Gaetti, who is batting .357 this spring. “I’ll just do whatever they want. I feel like I’m part of the team, but to what capacity is up to Buck.”

Easley, who was being given his first opportunity to be an everyday player, knows there are no guarantees when he returns.

“I want to win,” Easley said, “but I hope nobody gets too hot while I’m gone. . . . It’s just such a major disappointment.

“They’ve got the job dangling in front of me, and I can’t go out there and wrap it up.”

Third baseman Kelly Gruber was put on the 60-day emergency disabled list after being examined by Yocum. Gruber cannot be activated until at least June 4 and will be removed from the 40-man roster.

“Hopefully, he’ll show some improvement to the point where he can play catch and reach for some balls before the end of spring training,” Yocum said. “I think there’s a good chance he’ll be back playing this season, but I want him to be back on an everyday basis.”

The Seattle Mariners finally gained their first spring training victory when they defeated the Angels, 7-6, on Jay Buhner’s run-scoring single against Chuck Crim with two out in the ninth inning.

The victory allowed Mariner Manager Lou Piniella’s temper to subside, although he’s still upset with his pitching staff.

“We’ve had the . . . beaten out of us one inning every game,” he said. “If we were playing seven-inning softball, we’d be in great shape.

“If the pitchers we have don’t show they can pitch, we’ll go trade for some more. I’m certainly not going to look at this all damn year, I’ll tell you that.”

Gord Ash, Toronto Blue Jay assistant general manager, upon hearing the Angels filed a report with the league office over the Gruber trade: “We can’t say we expected it, since it’s been three weeks since the story first came out. The league has had no contact with us whatsoever. We’ll have to wait and see how they want to approach it, but we’ll comply with whatever decision is made.”