Saunders stays in case he’s needed

Joe Saunders may not be one-and-done, after all. The left-hander, who was called up from triple-A Salt Lake to start Friday against Pittsburgh and sent back to the minor leagues after the game, has remained in Anaheim for what he called “just-in-case” purposes.

As in, stick around just in case the shoulder injuries of John Lackey and Jered Weaver are worse than feared. Or in case Weaver, as he did Monday, comes down with such a sore throat he “can’t swallow water” and has to visit a doctor to get checked for strep.

Weaver, who looked physically drained, already missed one start because of a bruised shoulder, and he may be scratched from Wednesday’s start against Kansas City because of another ailment.

“It came on real quick,” Weaver said before leaving the team during batting practice Monday. “I felt something toward the end of the game Sunday.”

If Weaver can’t pitch Wednesday, the Angels will put him on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 17, and call up Saunders to start against Kansas City. Because Weaver hasn’t pitched since June 16, he would be eligible to be activated July 2, an off day before a series in Texas. Saunders, who is 3-0 with a 2.97 earned-run average in five starts for the Angels this season, is booked on a flight to Colorado tonight so he can join Salt Lake.

“It’s crazy, man,” said Saunders, who twice this season has been called up for one start and sent back to the minor leagues after the game. “But I wouldn’t be upset if I had to scrap my travel plans.”

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A one-pitch, pinch-hit at-bat in the 10th inning Sunday, in which he flied to left field, was enough to convince Gary Matthews Jr., that he is not ready to return from the mild left hamstring strain he suffered Saturday night. The center fielder expects to sit out the Royals series and hopes to return Friday in Baltimore.

“It’s a little tight,” said Matthews, who was injured legging out an infield single against Pittsburgh. “We want to be careful so it’s only four or five days [that I’m out] instead of four or five weeks.”

Though he didn’t bust it down the line after hitting his routine fly ball Sunday, Matthews said the hamstring “wasn’t as strong as it needs to be. I don’t want to hurt myself or the team. Running down the line, I could sense it wasn’t right.”

The good news: Matthews, who is batting .285 with 10 home runs and 42 runs batted in, is confident his injury is nowhere near as severe as the pulled hamstring that sidelined him for almost a month in 2005.

“This was a little twinge, like a little needlepoint, it wasn’t a huge grab,” Matthews said. “It didn’t ball up like it did in 2005. I didn’t have to limp off the field. It didn’t get real stiff that night.”

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First baseman Casey Kotchman returned to the lineup Monday night after missing seven games because of a mild concussion suffered June 16 against the Dodgers.... The Angels, who led the American League in stolen bases in each of the last three seasons, had an AL-leading 74 stolen bases entering Monday. Only the Chicago White Sox (1901-04 and 1951-61) and Milwaukee Brewers (1987-90) have led the major leagues in stolen bases for four consecutive seasons.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com