Erstad’s Injury Gives Kotchman a Chance

As Tom Kotchman scrambled for a light and grabbed the telephone, he wondered what injury might have befallen his son Casey this time.

“With his track history, a phone call at 1:40 a.m. usually isn’t good news,” Tom Kotchman said.

This time, it was. First baseman Casey Kotchman, the Angels’ top-ranked but oft-injured prospect, was headed to the big leagues. With Darin Erstad suffering a hamstring injury Saturday and joining the disabled list Sunday, the Angels summoned Kotchman from double-A Arkansas and inserted him into Sunday’s lineup.

“It’s not my philosophy to bring guys to the major leagues from double A,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “But if you’re going to go against it, this is the right guy to go against it with.”

The Angels would be pleasantly surprised if Erstad returns within a few weeks, although they expect to learn more after an MRI examination today. Erstad sat out 95 games because of an injury to the same hamstring last season, and although this injury is in a different location and believed to be unrelated, Manager Mike Scioscia said, “I don’t think that minimizes the severity of this.”

Said Erstad: “It’s out of nowhere. It’s like getting blindsided. I had no indication, no idea.”

By moving their Gold Glove center fielder to first base, the Angels had hoped to minimize the risk of injury to Erstad, who dives all over the field. Instead, his hamstring gave way while he was running the bases.

“This thing would have happened if he was playing any position,” Scioscia said.

The Angels selected Kotchman, 21, in the first round of the 2001 draft and signed him for a $2.075-million bonus. Comparisons to such players as Todd Helton and Rafael Palmeiro followed almost immediately. So did a string of injuries -- right wrist in 2001, left wrist in 2002, right hamstring, right wrist, bad-hop grounder off face and right hamstring again in 2003.

But he impressed the Angels in spring training, batting .368 at Arkansas, with a .438 on-base percentage, .544 slugging percentage and seven strikeouts in 114 at-bats. He arrived in Anaheim running on adrenaline but no sleep, after getting news of his promotion at 12:30 a.m., packing some of his clothes, gathering his equipment at the Arkansas ballpark and heading to the airport for a 6 a.m. flight. He went hitless in three at-bats, but had a sacrifice fly.

Although the Angels also have Robb Quinlan and Shane Halter available at first base, Scioscia said Kotchman would get “a significant amount of playing time.” Stoneman said he did not rule out the possibility that Kotchman could play well enough to stay in the major leagues once the Angels’ injury wave abates.

“We don’t have a timetable on him being here,” Stoneman said. “When people get opportunities, we want them to make the most of them.”

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Tampa Bay left fielder Eduardo Perez, a former Angel, suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon while running the bases Sunday. After collapsing in pain between shortstop and third base, he was removed from the field on a stretcher and is expected to undergo surgery that would end his season.