Salmon Reduced to DH as Foot Pain Persists

Tim Salmon, slowed by tendinitis in his right foot, was used at designated hitter Wednesday night, the fourth time in the last six games he has not played right field.

Though the condition is not serious, there is some concern it could lead to the plantar fascia ligament tear of his left foot that reduced Salmon to a full-time DH for most of 1998 and was so painful he said it felt like someone had tapped a nail into his foot.

“It progresses like a pitcher who plays with a sore elbow, develops a little tendinitis and then blows it out,” said Salmon, who underwent surgery on his left foot after the 1998 season. “When I blew out my left foot, I played on it for about a month with it feeling how my right foot feels now.”

Salmon said the condition was manageable until he played right field on the artificial turf in Minnesota’s Metrodome Friday night.

“This time of year, there’s a lot of wear and tear from playing every day, fatigue sets in, and your leg strength isn’t the same,” he said.

Salmon’s feet have always given him problems because they are small (size 10 1/2) for his body size (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) and he has high arches. He wears custom-fitted orthotics inside his spikes, but the only cure for his tendinitis is to stay off his feet until the inflammation subsides.

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Angel reliever Lou Pote will start Friday night’s game at Texas in place of right-hander Tim Belcher, who will begin serving his three-game suspension stemming from his June 27 ejection at Seattle. Scott Karl and Derrick Turnbow are the leading candidates to start Saturday against the Rangers, and Kent Mercker will also be considered.

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Jermaine Dye, who entered Wednesday night’s game with a .318 average 33 homers and 114 RBIs, gave the Royals a scare during batting practice when a ball caromed off the top of the batting cage and hit him in the face. Dye remained on the ground for several minutes before walking to the clubhouse under his own power and was able to start at DH.

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The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Salt Lake’s triple-A franchise has cut ties with the Minnesota Twins and is expected to sign a player development contract with the Angels this week. The Angels’ triple-A team has been based in Edmonton or Vancouver for the last 22 years.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

SCOTT

SCHOENEWEIS

(7-8, 4.95 ERA)

vs.

ROYALS’

JEFF SUPPAN

(8-9, 5.25 ERA)

Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo., 5 p.m.

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

* Update--Schoeneweis failed to pitch into the sixth inning for the first time in 11 starts Saturday night in Minnesota, when the left-hander gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 7-6 victory over the Twins. Catcher Bengie Molina returned to the lineup Wednesday after being scratched from Tuesday’s game because of tightness in his left quadriceps.