Six Months Will Be Crucial for Colon

If Pedro Martinez’s recovery from a rotator-cuff tear is a barometer, it could be at least three months before Bartolo Colon throws again and at least six months before he regains the velocity of his fastball.

But if all goes well, there is no reason the Angels right-hander, diagnosed with a rotator-cuff tear Friday, shouldn’t return to full strength by next season.

“Every case is different, every tear is different, and every pitching style is different, but because Bart is a power pitcher, it might take a little longer,” said Chris Correnti, a former Boston Red Sox athletic trainer who oversaw Martinez’s rehabilitation in 2001-02.

“Six months would be optimistic. After six months, you’d have a good idea. My recommendation would be that he has full strength and range of motion before he starts throwing again.”

Martinez was shut down because of a tear in early September 2001, and, like Colon, chose an aggressive rehabilitation program over surgery. Martinez spent three months in what Correnti called “total body training,” strengthening his legs, lower back, upper back and arm. He gained more than 20 pounds in muscle.

Martinez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, began a 45-day throwing program in early December, going from catch to long toss -- “It was like a spring training before spring training,” Correnti said -- and returned to form in 2002, going 20-4 with a 2.26 earned-run average and 239 strikeouts.

“It was a lot of hard work, let me tell you,” Correnti said by phone from Fort Myers, Fla., where he works individually with a number of professional athletes. “But I still think it’s a better alternative than surgery.”

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Jose Molina entered 2006 hoping to be the starting catcher, he spent two months as a part-time player, splitting time with Jeff Mathis in April and Mike Napoli in May, and for the next two months he seemed as visible as a guy in a witness protection program, starting 16 of 56 games from June 1 through Friday.

But with Napoli, a budding rookie-of-the-year candidate in June, batting .169 in July and mired in a three-for-37 skid, Molina started his third straight game Monday night. Not since May 30 and 31 had Molina started consecutive games.

“At one time, I would have preferred to know what my role was,” Molina said. “Right now, I don’t care. If I’m in the lineup, I play. If I don’t, I sit. It’s simple. I’m taking it day by day.”

Manager Mike Scioscia wanted to give Napoli a few days to clear his head and work with batting instructor Mickey Hatcher, but with Molina warming at the plate -- he hit a home run in the fifth inning Monday and has steadily raised his average, from .170 on May 28 to .258 -- it’s clear Napoli won’t be playing as regularly as he once did.

“We don’t need to lock ourselves into any roles,” Scioscia said. “On the defensive side, both guys are doing a terrific job, so we can explore matchups on offense.”

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Third baseman Maicer Izturis, who left Sunday’s game in the first inning because of a tight right hamstring, did not start Monday but said he was available to pinch-hit or pinch-run.