Gregg Is Hit With Untimely Bulletin

A communication glitch somewhere between the office for Kevin Gregg’s agent, the players’ union and the commissioner’s office resulted in the Angels reliever serving an additional game under suspension Tuesday night.

Gregg was set to return against the Boston Red Sox, thinking he had completed his four-game suspension Sunday, but when he got to Angel Stadium on Tuesday, General Manager Bill Stoneman informed the right-hander he would be down for a fifth game.

Gregg, suspended and fined for hitting Texas’ Michael Young with a pitch after warnings were issued Aug. 16, originally filed an appeal of his suspension Thursday at about 2:30 p.m. PDT.

Half an hour later, as baseball’s offices were shutting down in New York, Gregg decided to withdraw the appeal and begin serving the suspension, but Major League Baseball did not receive the required paperwork until Friday morning.

Gregg watched part of Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners from the press box, thinking he had begun his suspension, but he was actually free to pitch. According to MLB, Gregg’s suspension did not begin until Friday.

The Angels appealed to Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president for on-field operation, but Watson was not in a forgiving mood.

“Watson wasn’t going to budge,” Gregg said. “They see it as I was active Thursday, and I wasn’t even here; I was in the press box. Being the long reliever, it would have been nice for the Angels to have me if they needed me” Tuesday night.

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Darin Erstad, sidelined because of a right ankle injury, took ground balls at first base in simulated game conditions, feeling some discomfort when he moved to his left but otherwise looking so comfortable that Manager Mike Scioscia said Erstad probably won’t need a minor league rehabilitation stint before returning.

Erstad, limited to five games since May 1, still hasn’t tried to run the bases at full speed, but it’s becoming evident the Angels are only looking at him as a late-game defensive replacement, probably after rosters expand Sept. 1, so he won’t need to be full strength to be activated.

“He’s been running at a good pace, but that’s not as important for what we’re looking at for right now,” Scioscia said of Erstad, a Gold Glove Award-winning first baseman. “He hasn’t tested everything at first base, but he’s making a lot of progress. We’re looking at him helping us in the near future.”

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Third baseman Maicer Izturis, who sat out Sunday’s game because of a tight right hamstring, returned to the lineup but infielder Howie Kendrick did not start because of a sore right hamstring.

“It’s just a little tightness,” Kendrick said. “It’s nothing major.”