Hasegawa Won’t Require Surgery

The Angels feared they might lose versatile reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa for the season because of a partially torn rotator cuff, but Hasegawa said Wednesday he was told he could return in two to three weeks.

Dr. Lewis Yocum examined him Tuesday and told him surgery does not appear necessary. Hasegawa, currently on a strengthening regimen, said he expects to resume throwing soon.

Hasegawa led American League relievers by pitching 96 innings last season but said he did not believe that workload was excessive. His concern is that Japanese pitchers following him to the major leagues could be susceptible to arm injuries because pro teams in Japan do not employ specialized strength and flexibility exercises common in the major leagues and because amateur teams in Japan can ask star pitchers to throw as many as 200 pitches on three consecutive days.

“I’ve got to tell the Japanese people that’s too much,” he said. “I don’t want to see Japanese pitchers come over to the U.S. and, after a year, everybody is done.”

Two Japanese pitchers, Koji Uehara of the Yomiuri Giants and Akinori Otsuka of the Kintetsu Buffaloes, paid their own way to California in January, training at the Sports Medicine Institute in Orange for specialized muscular training believed to be unavailable in Japan.

The Angels activated reliever Mike Holtz and optioned utilityman Jamie Burke to triple-A Salt Lake. The move leaves the Angels with two catchers--Jorge Fabregas and Shawn Wooten--for the first time this season, but Manager Mike Scioscia said Jose Molina (fractured left thumb) could be activated next week and Bengie Molina (strained right hamstring) could start a minor league rehabilitation assignment as soon as next week.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

JARROD WASHBURN

(3-4, 5.12 ERA)

vs.

TWINS’

BRAD THOMAS

(0-0, 21.60 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

TV--Channel 9. Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Update--Thomas, 23, a left-hander who pitched for Australia in the Sydney Olympics, makes his second major league start. The Dodgers originally signed him, then released him after one season of rookie ball.

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.