Angels’ Erstad on Need-to-Know Basis

Darin Erstad faces a winter of uncertainty. He does not know what position he will play next season. He does not know whether the Angels will offer him a long-term contract or let him play out his final season before free agency. He does not know whether doctors will recommend surgery for his injured right knee--or whether surgery will help at all.

The Angels moved Erstad from center field to first base Saturday and plan to evaluate him there for the rest of the season. After Sunday’s 8-6 loss to the Texas Rangers, Erstad said he wants the Angels to inform him as soon as possible where he will play next season, so he can structure his off-season workouts accordingly.

“To me, that’s the most important thing,” Erstad said. “In my opinion, there’s a huge difference between training for the outfield and training for first base.”

The Angels say they can’t provide that answer now. If they acquire an outfielder this winter, they want the flexibility to move Erstad to first base--and Mo Vaughn, returning from injury, to designated hitter.

“As bad as we’ve been offensively, we have to look at every option to fit bats into our lineup,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Although Erstad won a Gold Glove as an outfielder last season, first base could exact less of a toll on his body. While Erstad said he might undergo postseason arthroscopic surgery to repair ligament damage in his right knee, he also said doctors have not ruled out an arthritic condition in the knee, perhaps manageable with therapy but not curable by surgery.

Erstad refuses to blame the injury for his slide from a .355 batting average last season to .259 this season, but he has played all season with the injury, sustained in January but not diagnosed until May.

“You can see the swings I take. It’s terrible,” he said.

After the game, Scioscia met with pitcher Scott Schoeneweis behind closed doors. Schoeneweis, given a 4-0 lead in the first inning, failed to survive the sixth. He has not won in his past seven starts, and he openly wonders whether his record this season (10-10, 4.99 earned-run average) truly reflects progress over last season (7-10, 5.45 ERA).

“I feel like I’ve made some improvements, but I don’t know if it’s true or not,” he said. “It’s still a mediocre year.”