Kennedy May Miss Opener Because of Broken Finger

Second baseman Adam Kennedy is doubtful for opening day after being diagnosed Monday with a non-displaced fracture of the right index finger below the knuckle.

Preliminary X-rays of Kennedy’s hand, which was hit by a pitch Thursday, were negative, but when he experienced considerable discomfort after 15 to 20 practice swings Monday morning, he was sent to a hand-and-wrist specialist in Scottsdale, Ariz., for further X-rays and an MRI test, which revealed the break.

Dr. Donald Sheridan did not put the hand in a cast, but he told Kennedy the rehabilitation process would take two to three weeks, maybe more.

“This is definitely a bummer,” said Kennedy, who returned to Tempe Diablo Stadium after the Angels’ 4-3 Cactus League loss to Seattle. “I’m sure opening day is in jeopardy. . . . No one wants to be hurt. I’m not really good at dealing with these things.”

The Angels are. They already lost first baseman Mo Vaughn to elbow surgery, and shortstop Gary DiSarcina, trying to recover from rotator-cuff surgery, is out indefinitely. If Kennedy is not ready by April 3, three-fourths of the Angels’ opening-day infield from 2000 would start 2001 on the disabled list.

“We’re still looking at him being ready for opening day, if not shortly thereafter,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We have options. We’ll be solid at second base whatever way we go.”

Among the options are utility player Scott Spiezio, who signed with the Angels as a second baseman last season but appeared in only two games there; Justin Baughman, who played second for 63 games in 1998; and David Eckstein, whose stock rose with a two-hit game against the Mariners on Monday.

Scioscia could move shortstop Benji Gil to second and start Wilmy Caceres at short, or he could start Gil at second, move third baseman Troy Glaus to short and start Spiezio at third, a scenario that gained momentum when the Angels took infield in that alignment Monday morning.

But Scioscia said that was a coincidence. The Angels used Glaus as an emergency shortstop in 2000 and want him to get some work there this spring. “We wouldn’t consider [Glaus] as a regular shortstop,” Scioscia said.

Kennedy, who came from St. Louis as part of the Jim Edmonds trade last spring, was entrenched as the Angels’ regular second baseman, hitting .266 with 33 doubles and 72 runs batted in as a rookie in 2000.

He thought this injury was minor and even played catch on Sunday, “but when I woke up [Monday] morning, I didn’t feel one bit better,” he said. “I figured something wasn’t right.”

Monday’s diagnosis might have prevented a major injury. Doctors told Kennedy if he continued to play, he could have done serious damage to the hand. Having recovered from a broken bone in his right hand as a Cal State Northridge sophomore in 1996, Kennedy is confident he’ll overcome this one.

“I’ll be able to do everything [during rehab] except hit,” Kennedy said. “Hopefully, my body will be ready in a few weeks, and it will just take a few days to get back into the swing of things.”

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Right fielder Tim Salmon, suffering from a slight abdominal strain, did not participate in drills or play in games for the second consecutive day. He was feeling better Monday but was not sure when he’d be able to return. . . . Jose Canseco, sidelined for three days because of a stiff lower back, said he expects to play today. . . . Utility player Shawn Wooten, who had four hits, including a home run, in his first eight Cactus League at-bats, underwent an MRI test on his right knee Monday. There is a fear that Wooten has a sprained medial collateral ligament. . . . Scott Schoeneweis threw four scoreless innings and Gil had three hits in the Angels’ 6-1 split-squad victory over Milwaukee on Monday. Tim Belcher looked sharp against Seattle, giving up two runs on four hits in four innings. . . . The Angels optioned pitchers Steve Green to triple-A Salt Lake and Derrick Turnbow to double-A Arkansas and reassigned pitchers Juan Alvarez and John Lackey; outfielders Nathan Haynes, Gary Johnson, Scott Morgan and Jose Tolentino; catcher Kevin Lidle; and infielder E.J. t’Hoen to minor league camp.