BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Aldrete Awakens to News He’s Traded

Mike Aldrete was sound asleep when the phone rang Thursday morning. Oakland General Manager Sandy Alderson was on the line.

“When he said, ‘This is Sandy Alderson,’ I wasn’t sure what my fate was going to be,” Aldrete said. “He did say, ‘I think I have some good news for you.’ ”

Aldrete then learned he had been traded to the Angels from Oakland for minor league outfielder Demond Smith.

To make room for Aldrete, a left-handed-hitting outfielder and first baseman, the Angels placed outfielder Dave Gallagher on the disabled list. Gallagher strained a muscle in his rib cage during early batting practice Wednesday.

“We talked [Wednesday with Oakland],” said Tim Mead, Angel assistant general manager. “Things were worked out in principle before Gallagher was hurt. We wanted the left-handed bat off the bench, somebody who could spell J.T. [Snow] at first.”

Aldrete, 34, batted .272 with four home runs and 21 runs batted in in 60 games for the Athletics this season. He is a lifetime .266 hitter, who also played for San Francisco, Montreal, San Diego and Cleveland.

“I haven’t had time to sort out my emotions,” Aldrete said. “I had to pack up the house, go to the ballpark and pick up my stuff, hold up the plane and fly here.”

He landed at 3:30 p.m., arriving at Anaheim Stadium in time to take batting practice.

“I enjoyed Oakland,” Aldrete said. “I felt like it was a very good organization, but at the same time we all want a chance to go to the World Series.”

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Mead on Cal Ripken’s streak, which reached 2,119 consecutive games Thursday: “I’ll tell you when you really begin to appreciate it is when you look at [Angel shortstop] Gary DiSarcina, who’s been knocked out for the season twice in three years by freak injuries. He plays aggressive baseball and so does Cal.

“And how does Gary do it? In a 10-2 game we’re losing. That tells you how hard he plays.”

DiSarcina had season-ending surgery after injuring his left thumb breaking up a double play at second base on Aug. 3. His 1993 season was cut short because of a broken right thumb in late August.

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Manager Marcel Lachemann rested third baseman Tony Phillips on Thursday. Rene Gonzales replaced Phillips in the starting lineup. . . . The Angels went into Thursday batting .285, third-best in the American League. They have hit better than .280 only once, batting .282 in 1979.