Anderson out at least a month

An MRI test on Garret Anderson’s right hip Friday revealed a tear of the flexor tendon, an injury that will sideline the Angels’ left fielder and cleanup batter for at least another month and add more pressure to those trying to protect Vladimir Guerrero in the lineup.

Anderson, who was hurt while running out a ground ball in Chicago on April 27 and sat out the next six games, was placed on the disabled list for only the second time in his 13-year career, which is a surprise considering all of his nagging injuries the last three years.

Outfielder Tommy Murphy was recalled from triple-A Salt Lake and was expected to arrive shortly after Friday night’s game started.

“It’s a big loss,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “As spotty as our offense has been, it’s important to get all the bats we can in the lineup. He’ll be back, and hopefully in a reasonable amount of time. But you look at some stretches, even in the year we won the World Series, we’ve lost players for long periods and have been able to absorb it.”

In an effort to cluster more productive hitters around Guerrero, Scioscia moved leadoff batter Gary Matthews Jr. to the third spot and Reggie Willits, an effective table-setter in the second and third spots, to leadoff.

Once Chone Figgins, who missed the first month because of broken bones in two fingertips, finds his rhythm at the plate, Scioscia will look to move him from the ninth spot back to leadoff, where Figgins hit for most of 2005 and 2006.

The options behind Guerrero aren’t as plentiful. First baseman Casey Kotchman, who has been batting fifth, was hitless in his last nine at-bats before Friday, a slump that had dropped his average to .242.

Shea Hillenbrand, who has hit sixth most of the season, is batting .230 and struggling to find consistency. Scioscia moved Hillenbrand to seventh, behind second baseman Erick Aybar, Friday.

“Right now, it’s important to create offense in front of Vlad, and we need the guys behind him to start swinging the bats,” Scioscia said. “Teams will always pitch around Vlad. Hopefully we can minimize that by setting the table in front of him and getting the guys behind him to hit with runners in scoring position.”

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White Sox center fielder Darin Erstad, making his first Angel Stadium appearance since his 11-year Angels career ended last winter, received a standing ovation before leading off Friday night’s game.

Erstad, who took off his helmet and waved to the crowd, was also saluted during a brief video tribute in the middle of the first inning, with a collection of highlights punctuated by the message, “Thanks for the memories.”

Erstad played against the Angels twice in spring training and three times in Chicago last weekend, “but this is going to be the hardest one,” he said of his return to Anaheim, and that was before he lost Mike Napoli’s second-inning fly ball in the twilight, the ball dropping for a double. “Being in this stadium [as an opponent] is going to be odd.”

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Doctors advised second baseman Howie Kendrick, who has been out for three weeks because of a broken bone on the back of his left hand, to not swing a bat or catch a ball for at least seven days, at which time he will be re-evaluated.... White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe returned to Chicago to be with his ailing mother and will miss the weekend series against the Angels.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com