It’s Unlikely Hollins Will Return

Not long after Dave Hollins was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, there was speculation in the SkyDome about a possible return to Anaheim for the former Angel third baseman.

It makes some sense.

The Angels, who traded Hollins to Toronto at the end of spring training, are already paying $1.3 million of his $2.4-million contract, and if Hollins clears waivers and is either traded or becomes a free agent, the team he goes to would have to pay him only about $100,000.

Hollins is a more than adequate defensive first baseman who would allow Mo Vaughn and his sore ankle to remain in the designated hitter spot and Darin Erstad to return to left field. Hollins has shown an ability to hit in the .280 range and score 90-100 runs.

But the Angels seem lukewarm to the idea of Hollins coming back.

“We made a move for a reason,” General Manager Bill Bavasi said of Hollins’ trade to Toronto, “and any subsequent move would be discussed internally.”

Asked if he felt there was any chance of Hollins returning, Tom Tanzer, Hollins’ agent, said: “I wouldn’t think so.”

Hollins, who hit .222 with two homers and six runs batted in in 27 games for the Blue Jays, doesn’t have a preference.

“I’ll go anywhere, dude,” Hollins said.

Hollins suffered a broken bone in his left hand in mid-April and sat out five weeks. He returned in late May but was never 100% and was limited to 99 at-bats.

“But I’m getting better now,” Hollins said with a grin, knowing he needs to make himself more attractive to potential employers. “I’m surprised, but the team is making some changes, we’re not winning, and this can happen. I can’t fault the Blue Jays.”

*

Most batting slumps end with a line drive up the middle or into a gap or a home run. Erstad believes his ended with a strikeout--in the sixth inning Friday night against Arizona right-hander Armando Reynoso.

“I swung and missed and went, ‘Oh, that felt good,’ ” Erstad said. “I was taking the path to the ball that I wanted to take.”

In subsequent at-bats, that path has included the ball striking the bat a lot more often. The first baseman had seven hits in 15 at-bats in four games to raise his average to .241 before Tuesday night’s game, and he lined a single to center off Blue Jay left-hander David Wells in his third at-bat.

The reason Erstad’s average fell from .261 on April 30 to a season-low .227 on June 7, he said, is that his hands were too jittery just before his swing.

“I was pumping my hands, stopping and restarting, and it threw my timing off,” Erstad said. “I always knew what was wrong, but I finally found out how to fix it. I’m keeping my hands smoother through the ball.”

*

Right fielder Tim Salmon’s sprained left wrist was reexamined Monday, but he was not cleared to increase his activity and he did not join the Angels on this trip, raising speculation that he won’t be able to return by the All-Star break. Salmon, according to a team release, will continue to wear a soft removable splint and maintain a course of conservative treatment for rehabilitation, and no timetable has been set for his return. . . . Utility player Tim Unroe, who was designated for assignment Saturday night, is expected to clear waivers and be recalled to the Angels today to replace outfielder Mike Colangelo, who was put on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of a torn ligament in his left thumb.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ STEVE SPARKS (2-5, 5.49 ERA)

vs.

BLUE JAYS’ JOEY HAMILTON (0-4, 11.32 ERA)

SkyDome, Toronto, 4 p.m.

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090), AM-1540.

* Update--Sparks’ last start, against San Francisco on June 8, came on nine days’ rest, and the knuckleballer gave up three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. This start will come on seven days’ rest. “I’m tough on nine days’ rest,” Sparks joked. “No pitcher is going to be happy about [being shuffled around the rotation], but all I can do is use it as motivation to pitch well and keep my spot in the rotation.” Blue Jay reliever Paul Quantrill, who broke his leg in snowmobile accident over the winter, was activated off the 60-day disabled list Tuesday.