Glaus Hits a Few Shots in the Park

In the strongest sign yet that he may be able to rejoin the Angels this season, Troy Glaus returned to Angel Stadium on Monday and staged a one-man home run derby.

Glaus crushed about half a dozen homers during a few rounds of early batting practice, sending balls bouncing off the rock formation and batter’s eye behind the center-field wall. The third baseman also ran the bases during his first baseball activity at Angel Stadium since undergoing shoulder surgery May 21.

“It’s only batting practice, but it’s a first hurdle,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “His hand speed looks great, his bat speed looks great. He ran the bases very well, so I think his body is ready for the next challenge.”

Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels’ medical director, is scheduled to examine Glaus today and determine whether he is ready to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment as a designated hitter. Glaus was unavailable for comment.

While acknowledging that he was encouraged by Glaus’ progress since the surgery, which was expected to sideline him for the rest of the season and could threaten his career as a third baseman, Scioscia said the Angels would remain guardedly optimistic until Glaus plays.

“Taking the next step to get out on the field is still a big hurdle,” Scioscia said. “A setback could come in a number of forms: It could be a pulled hamstring, a pulled calf muscle. It’s just a matter now of making sure he goes through the paces to get in the shape he needs to be to see if he can come back and play.”

Scioscia said Glaus did not need to justify his decision to have surgery at a time when he was still productive as a designated hitter despite injuries to both shoulders and his knee. Glaus batted .296 with 11 home runs and 28 runs batted in in 29 games.

When Glaus opted for surgery, Scioscia said, his “comfort level of doing the things he needed to help us -- even if it was in a DH role -- was not high. Once that was the case, I felt that surgery was the only route that Troy had to go.

“The fact that it was successful and he’s rehabbing well now is a bonus.”

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Kelvim Escobar said he did not expect the blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand to be an issue when he makes his next start, which is expected to be Saturday against the Minnesota Twins.

“I think it will be 100% by the next game,” said Escobar, who held the New York Yankees to three hits and two runs in seven innings Sunday in the Angels’ 4-3 victory. Escobar said that he felt the blister during the last three innings of the game but that it had greatly improved since his previous outing against Tampa Bay, when “I couldn’t really hold and grip the ball.”