Kennedy’s Comeback Is Ahead of Schedule

Adam Kennedy has added wind sprints to a rehabilitation program that includes ground balls, batting practice and agility drills, and it appears the second baseman is ahead of schedule in his recovery from knee surgery.

The Angels had targeted late May or early June as a return date for Kennedy, who tore ligaments in his right knee while fielding a ground ball last Sept. 20 and underwent surgery Oct. 15.

But if Kennedy can accelerate to the point where he’s doing drills at full speed by the middle of March, he thinks he will be able to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment by early April. That could push Kennedy’s return to early May.

“I want to stay away from setting a timetable so I don’t feel pressure to come back by a certain date,” Kennedy said Tuesday.

“But so far, [the knee] has responded well to the first step, of seeing a ground ball and reacting to it. The next two weeks I’ll be a little hesitant, but after that, if I can do a lot of things at 100%, that will erase the doubt.”

Middle infielders are vulnerable to runners barreling into them at second base on double-play grounders, so Kennedy already is gearing up for the mental hurdle he’ll have to clear by playing with a surgically repaired knee.

“I talked to a lot of guys who had the surgery, and they said they don’t even think about it, it’s not an issue,” Kennedy said.

“If anything, it might make me more conscious of doing the double play right, of being quicker and getting out of the way.”

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Kelvim Escobar displayed a crisp fastball and mixed in a few changeups during a strenuous 10-minute bullpen workout, the second time the right-hander has thrown off a mound this spring.... The Angels have now agreed to terms on contracts with their entire 40-man roster, completing the process Tuesday by signing pitchers John Lackey ($440,000) and Kevin Gregg ($360,000), outfielder Juan Rivera and infielder Chone Figgins to 2005 deals.