BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Greene Called Up to Replace Myers

The Angels’ catcher of the future became the team’s reserve catcher of the present Saturday when Todd Greene, recently named Baseball Weekly’s 1995 minor league player of the year, was activated.

Greene, who hit 40 home runs splitting the season between double-A Midland and triple-A Vancouver, was in Phoenix Saturday morning for his first Arizona Fall League workout.

But Greg Myers suffered a strained left rib cage Friday night and was placed on the 60-day disabled list Saturday, ending his season. So the call went out for Greene, the first minor leaguer to hit 40 home runs since Danny Tartabull hit 43 in 1985.

Greene, who drove from Phoenix to Anaheim Saturday, does not expect to play--Andy Allanson started Saturday night and Jorge Fabregas is also available. But the 5-foot-9, 195-pound Greene is expected to challenge for the starting job next season.

“He’s the kind of kid whose bat can carry him to the big leagues,” Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “But he’s getting better and better defensively.”

Greene was drafted out of Georgia Southern as an outfielder in 1993 but moved to catcher in 1994. He hit .302 with 35 homers and 124 runs batted in at Class A Lake Elsinore last season but led the minor leagues with 44 passed balls and had 15 errors. He reduced those to 14 passed balls and four errors this season.

“After my first 10 games of 1994 I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to catch again--I was brutal,” said Greene, 24, “but I feel pretty comfortable there now.”

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Second baseman Rex Hudler had reached base eight consecutive times until grounding out in his first at-bat Saturday night. Hudler had six hits, one walk and was hit by a pitch during the string.

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Chili Davis became the fifth Angel to hit 20 homers this season with a three-run shot in the fourth inning Saturday night, joining Tim Salmon (34), Jim Edmonds (32), Tony Phillips (26) and J.T. Snow (24) in the 20-homer club. It marked the third time in the Angels’ 35-year history (1987 and 1982) that five players have hit at least 20 homers in a season.

Salmon received the Angels’ 1995 Owner’s Trophy Saturday, the team’s annual most valuable player award selected by Angel players. Salmon, who shared the award with pitcher Mark Langston in 1993, led the Angels in average (.330), home runs (34), hits (173), total bases (314), doubles (33) and slugging percentage (.599) entering Saturday night’s game.